Don't Put the Free In Freelancing

With industries continuing cutbacks and layoffs, many folks have begun to freelance or consult on the side, or taken on freelance work in addition to their regular job, in order to make some extra dough during these tough times. According to Wikipedia, "a freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is a self-employed person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any particular employer. " Originally used to describe a "medieval mercenary warrior" or "free-lance" in the book Ivanhoe, the word freelance has evolved from a figurative noun around the 1860s, to being recognized as a verb in 1903 by authorities in etymology such as the Oxford English Dictionary.