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Pronunciation varies by accent · noun
Domestic manufacturing or commercial activity seen as being a precursor to industrialization..
Near-synonym: cottage industry
It is now generally recognised that the rise of cottage industry, or proto-industry as it is now more fashionably called, played an important role in the transformation of the West European economy during the modern era.
Proto-industry allowed women family members (and sometimes children too) to engage in spinning, weaving and other menial industrial tasks within their homes, and thereby to supplement the income their husbands and fathers derived from agricultural work.
Use proto-industry when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Proto-industry means Domestic manufacturing or commercial activity seen as being a precursor to industrialization..
Common synonyms include cottage industry.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
Near-synonym: cottage industry
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