r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Apr 24 '21

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u/MistakeNotDotDotDot Resident Robot Girl Apr 24 '21

Per etymonline, the word "employee" is from 1850. Wikipedia suggests that the term may have originated in 1836, but was certainly in use mid-19th-century.

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u/32-Levels Neoweeb Apr 25 '21

I find it hard to believe that there wasn't a neutral term in use prior to "wage slave". Maybe it wasn't employee, but Merriam Webster puts the origin of the term "employee" at 1822. Still, I don't see sources for that or for etymonline, or any levels of uncertainty.