Ergon

Ergon (Greek ἔργον) is a Greek noun meaning work, labor, task, or deed. In classical Greek, it referred to the product or function of an agent’s activity, and the term serves as the root for a number of modern words. The related verb is ergō, meaning to work.

In philosophy, ergon denotes the characteristic function or proper activity of a thing. For example, the ergon of a knife is to cut; the good of a thing is tied to performing its ergon well. Aristotle also distinguished ergon from energeia (activity or actuality) and argued that the good of a thing depends on fulfilling its ergon appropriately.

In modern science and everyday usage, ergon appears in compounds such as ergonomics, the study of designing equipment and workplaces to fit human abilities. The term ergonomics, from ergon and nomos, conveys the idea of the law or science of work, emphasizing efficiency, safety, and comfort in human–work interactions.

The root ergon also contributes to the name of the unit erg in physics, a unit of energy in the CGS system. One erg equals 1e-7 joules, and the term reflects the long-standing association between work and energy in scientific terminology.