By Barbara McAlister
Word of the Day: Freelance
Are you a freelance worker or do you freelance a particular talent? If you do, you are referencing a phrase from Sir Walter Scott’s 1819 historical romance, “Ivanhoe.” There is some record of the term’s use before Scott, but unquestionably “Ivanhoe” made it mainstream. In the early 1900s it became recognized as a noun, adjective and verb.
The concept of independent soldiers or armies for hire is not uncommon in history, especially during the violent Middle Ages, when battles were being fought continuously in Europe and the crusades in the Holy Land. Soldiers were always in demand. In the Middle Ages they were known by the Latin name stipendiarii, because they were given stipends to fight and fought for whoever held their contract. It wasn’t until Scott wrote his fiction, set 12th century England referring to a noble’s army of “free lances” that the word came into being. The lance was a spear-like weapon up to 14 feet long and capped with a metal tip capable of piercing armor. It was a popular during the era because it was designed to be used on horseback.
Scott is the second-most quoted writer in the Oxford English Dictionary after William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon. Coincidentally, Scott is also credited with having romanticized the word “bard” in his writings. Before Scott, the word in 16th century Scotland was a derogatory term for an itinerant musician.
Scott was given the title “sir” not because of his popular historical novels, but because of his extensive knowledge of Scottish history. In 1817 he helped recover Scotland’s “lost” crown jewels that had been sealed in a chest and locked away in 1648 to keep them out of the hands of Oliver Cromwell’s invading army.