A Career Was Originally a Racetrack
A career is a working life. The word once meant a gallop, which is why it also means moving out of control.
A career is a person's course of working life. The verb explains the noun: to career is to move fast and uncontrollably, because the word originally meant a racecourse and then a gallop along one. A career in the modern sense is a course run through life, and the runaway sense preserves the horse.
- A working life. *A long career.*
- To move uncontrollably. *The lorry careered off the road.*
- Career as a modifier. *A career diplomat.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | career | A stellar career. |
| Plural | careers | Two careers. |
| Verb | career | Careering downhill. |
| Confusable | careen | The ship careened. |
| Related | carriage | A horse carriage. |
How it is used in a sentence
- She built a career in law.Working life.
- The car careered into a ditch.Out of control.
- A career civil servant.One who has served throughout.
Career and careen
- Career (verb) — to rush along uncontrollably
- Careen — originally to tilt a ship on its side for repairs
- Merged in America — careen now often means the same as career there
- Kept apart in Britain — careering is the usual verb
- Carriage — from the same Latin root, *carrus*, a wheeled vehicle
From French *carrière*, a racecourse, from Latin *carraria*, a road for carts, from *carrus*, a wagon.
Career or careen?
Career means to rush along. Careen means to tilt over. American usage often merges them; British usage keeps them apart.
How did a racecourse become a job?
Through the idea of a course run: a career is the path a person runs through working life.