The meaning of the word is really not very apparent from the elements that make the word up.
The oldest use of worker was maker or creator with explicit reference to God.
Coming up on Word Matters,
a little word history from the print shop and the way we refer to the people we work with.
I'm Emily Brewster and Word Matters is produced by Merriam-Webster in collaboration with New England Public Media.
On each episode, Merriam-Webster editors Neil Servin, Amin Shea,
Peter Sakalowski and I explore some aspect of the English language from the dictionary's vantage point.
How is an unfair belief about all people with a particular characteristic like an 18th century printing technology?
No, that's not a riddle.
It's the story of the word stereotype.
Next up, I'll fill in the Inkstrune history.
The term stereotype.
When I think of, say, a toddler, I think of a toddler as throwing tantrums,
not eating what you give them to eat, being demanding and irrational.
Those are all stereotypes about toddlers.
Individual toddlers may behave differently.
A stereotype is a commonly held mental image, as our definition puts it,
that represents an oversimplified opinion, a prejudiced attitude,
or an unconsidered judgment about someone or something.
The meaning of the word is really not very apparent from the elements that make the word up,