: 114–115 At the time, Technologie ( German and French) referred either to the academic discipline studying the 'methods of arts and crafts', or to the political discipline 'intended to legislate on the functions of the arts and crafts.' : 117 Since the distinction between Technik and Technologie is absent in English, both were translated as technology. Starting in the 19th century, continental Europeans started using the terms Technik ( German) or technique ( French) to refer to a 'way of doing', which included all technical arts, such as dancing, navigation, or printing, whether or not they required tools or instruments.

It is predated in use by the Ancient Greek word tékhnē, used to mean 'knowledge of how to make things', which encompassed activities like architecture. Technology is a term dating back to the early 17th century that meant 'systematic treatment' (from Greek Τεχνολογία, from the Greek: τέχνη, romanized: tékhnē, lit.'craft, art' and -λογία, 'study, knowledge'). As a result, there are ongoing philosophical and political debates about the role and use of technology, the ethics of technology, and ways to mitigate its downsides. While technology contributes to economic development and improves human prosperity, it can also have negative impacts like pollution and resource depletion, and can cause social harms like technological unemployment resulting from automation. More recent technological inventions, including the printing press, telephone, and the Internet, have lowered barriers to communication and ushered in the knowledge economy. The invention of the wheel in the Bronze Age allowed greater travel and the creation of more complex machines. The earliest known technology is the stone tool, used during prehistoric times, followed by the control of fire, which contributed to the growth of the human brain and the development of language during the Ice Age.

Technological advancements have led to significant changes in society. Technology plays a critical role in science, engineering, and everyday life. The word technology can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, : 117 including both tangible tools such as utensils or machines, and intangible ones such as software. Technology is the application of knowledge for achieving practical goals in a reproducible way.

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