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 title: The Rise and Fall of the Free Lance
 date: 2016-07-07 12:00:00
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Originally coined as a term to describe mercenary soldiers, the
phrase "free lance" has come a long way in the past 200 years. Sir
Walter Scott, originator of the term, first wrote it in the book
Ivanhoe in 1820:

> I offered Richard the service of my Free Lances, and he refused
them — I will lead them to Hull, seize on shipping, and embark for
Flanders; thanks to the bustling times, a man of action will always
find employment.

In its first usage, Scott used the phrase as a proper noun,
literally naming his soldiers for hire "Free Lances". A "free
lance" very quickly became used synonymously with "mercenary," and
while the meaning stuck for a good 40 years, by the 1860s the usage
became purely figurative. By the end of the 19th century a
freelance was a person who _"acts independently without being
affiliated with, or authorized by, an organization."_ No longer
about medieval mercenary soldiers, "freelance" evolved to carry a
meaning that hinted at intrigue and excitement.

At the turn of the 20th century, freelance was officially
recognized as a verb by the Oxford English Dictionary.
"Freelancing," as defined by Oxford, is _"earn[ing] one’s living as
a freelance"_. While still evoking images of espionage and danger,
it wasn’t until more modern times that "freelance" took on a more
mundane meaning.

Used more recently as an adjective, the phrase "free lance" seems
to only conjure up images of writers, programmers, and artists with
serious caffeine addictions and thick-rimmed glasses. Though no
longer hardened mercenaries, freelancers are still individuals who
earn a living by acting independently without authorization from
any organization, and as Sir Walter Scott said, _"a man of action
will always find employment."_


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