Added 9 October 2026
factory
/ˈfæk.tə.ɹi/ noun
In Latin: officīna, fabrica Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about factory at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A plant consisting of one or more buildings with facilities for manufacturing.
Origin
Probably from factor + -y, although in noun sense 1 (“a place where manufacturing takes place”) apparently influenced strongly by association with Classical Latin fact-, the past participial stem of faciō (“to make”); compare manufactory and Latin factōrium (“an oil press”). In noun sense 8 (“a trading establishment”), originally after Portuguese feitoria. In noun sense 9 (“an invoice or inventory”), probably after obsolete Dutch facture (“bill”); see facture. Compare Dutch factorij, Middle French factorie, Spanish factoría.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)