Philosophy Now Forum

No, it's not a "concern" in the sense of "worries". It's a concern in the sense of "commercial enterprise, entity".

PS: From the sense of busyness came the business meaning of “concern” I suppose.

1. How are these 2 senses of concern related? What semantic notions underlie the popular sense of 'worries', with this esoteric sense of 'commercial enterprise'? I need much more detail than these snippety sentences above.

2. Please trace all semantic shifts from Latin concernō (“I mix, sift, or mingle together, as in a sieve”) to this sense of English ‘concern’? How, and why, did concernō shift to ‘concern’ meaning "an establishment for the transaction of business"?

I never heard of this 'obscure meaning where it means "business"'!

FYI a "concern" is quite old english for an establishment or business of some kind.

3. But why use "concern" when "business”, "corporation", or "enterprise" are more intuitive and understandable?

The connection between concern (worry) and concern (business) lies in the idea of involvement. Whether it’s an emotional engagement (worry) or a financial/professional engagement (business), the core meaning remains: something that affects you and that you are engaged with.

This kind of semantic broadening is common in language development. Many words shift meanings through metaphorical extension, and concern is a great example of how a word for "mixing" evolved into meanings of "engagement," leading to both personal worries and business enterprises.