IN'DUSTRY, noun [Latin industria.] Habitual diligence in any employment, either bodily or mental; steady attention to business; assiduity; opposed to sloth and idleness. We are directed to take lessons of industry from the bee. industry pays debts, while idleness or despair will increase them.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI