Editing Hobby (section)

== Etymology ==
[[File:Wikipedian at otium.jpg|thumb|Writing and editing articles for [[Wikipedia]] is a hobby for some people.|243x243px|alt=A grey-haired person using a computer with two monitors.]]

In the 16th century, the term "hobby" had the meaning of "small horse and pony". The term "[[Hobby horse (toy)|hobby horse]]" was documented in a 1557 payment confirmation for a "Hobbyhorse" from Reading, England.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hobby-horse|url=http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/hobby-horse.html|work=The Phrase Finder|publisher=Gary Martin|access-date=5 May 2012|author=The Phrase Finder|year=1996–2012}}</ref> The item, originally called a "Tourney Horse", was made of a wooden or basketwork frame with an artificial tail and head. It was designed for a child to mimic riding a real [[Horses in the Middle Ages#Hobbies|horse]]{{Broken anchor|date=2025-03-23|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Horses in the Middle Ages#Hobbies|reason= The anchor (Hobbies) [[Special:Diff/209163213|has been deleted]].|diff_id=209163213}}. By 1816 the [[wikt:derivative|derivative]], "hobby", was introduced into the [[vocabulary]] of a number of English people.<ref>{{cite web|title=hobby|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hobby|work=Online Etymology Dictionary|publisher=Douglas Harper|access-date=5 May 2012 |year=2001–2012}}</ref> Over the course of subsequent centuries, the term came to be associated with [[recreation]] and [[leisure]]. In the 17th century, the term was used in a [[pejorative]] sense by suggesting that a hobby was a childish pursuit, however, in the 18th century with more industrial society and more leisure time, hobbies took on greater respectability.<ref name="Gelber S M 1999, p. 12" /> A hobby is also called a '''pastime''', derived from the use of hobbies to ''pass the time''. A hobby became an activity that is practiced regularly and usually with some worthwhile purpose.<ref name="Gelber S M 1999, p. 12">Gelber S M. ''Hobbies: leisure and the Culture of Work in America'' Columbia University Press, 1999, pp. 3, 11–12, 23, 28.</ref> Hobbies are usually, but not always, practiced primarily for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward.