

The Definition/Etymology/Irony of the word "founder" - freshfruit
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s30/sh/6673fdd5-b766-47ac-8848-8ba32045befa/15904519d3de723254430b113244c7d1

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freshfruit
I've used the word "founder" countless times to mean founder of a company, but
have never remarked that the primary definition is "to fail."

This isn't a coincidence it turns out. The root of the word is bottom ("as in
foundation"). I thought it was interesting how "bottom as in foundation" can
go two ways. 1) Failure, as most fledgling pursuits don't go very far and 2)
Prime mover, because all things must originate with a dedicated person/team at
the base.

The parallels between the etymology of "founder" and the nature of starting a
startup are fascinating.

