Limerick

Sir Walter Scott introduced the term "freelance" in his 1819 novel *Ivanhoe*, coining it from "free lances" to describe medieval mercenaries who sold their services to various lords and kings. The word "free" refers to being unbound rather than unpaid, and Scott's coinage was so influential that he is credited with inventing or popularizing over 700 words now recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary, ranking third only to the Bible and Shakespeare in linguistic innovation.