Meanings
- Marxismpluralplural onlyeconomicsThe combination of the means of labor, such as machines, tools, and equipment, and the subject of labor used by workers to make products.
It is true, however, that the nationalization of all means of production and the complete subjection of economic life to state planning (however effective or ineffective that planning may be) practically amounts to a totalitarian society.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume III: The Breakdown, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozkład (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 160Synonyms: MOP
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe combination of the means of labor, such as machines, tools, and equipment, and the subject of labor used by workers to make products.
Origin
In English by 1733 in Peter Shaw, The Philosophical Works of Francis Bacon, Vol III, p. 52, noted: "Observe, what has been fully explained in the Novum Organum; that to discover the Causes of Things, is finding the Means to produce them, whence Causes, and the Means of Production are convertible terms."
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic وَسَائِل الْإِنْتَاج
- وَسَائِل الْإِنْتَاج (wasāʔil al-ʔintāj)combination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Catalan mitjans de producció
- mitjans de producciócombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Chinese Mandarin 生產資料 /生产资料, 生產工具 /生产工具
- 生產資料 /生产资料 (shēngchǎn zīliào)combination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
- 生產工具 /生产工具 (shēngchǎn gōngjù)combination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Danish produktionsmiddel
- produktionsmiddelcombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Esperanto produktadrimedoj
- produktadrimedojcombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Finnish tuotantoväline
- tuotantovälinecombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
French moyens de production
- moyens de productioncombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
German Produktionsmittel
- Produktionsmittelcombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Greek μέσα παραγωγής
- μέσα παραγωγής (mésa paragogís)combination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Hungarian termelőeszköz
- termelőeszközcombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Italian mezzi di produzione
- mezzi di produzionecombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Japanese 生産手段
- 生産手段 (seisanshudan)combination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Korean 생산수단
- 생산수단 (saengsansudan)combination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Latvian ražošanas līdzekļi
- ražošanas līdzekļicombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Polish środki produkcji
- środki produkcjicombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Portuguese meios de produção
- meios de produçãocombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Punjabi ਉਤਪਾਦਨ ਦੇ ਸਾਧਨ, ਉਤਪਾਦਨ ਕਾਰਕ
- ਉਤਪਾਦਨ ਦੇ ਸਾਧਨ (utapādan de sādhan)combination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
- ਉਤਪਾਦਨ ਕਾਰਕ (utapādan kārak)combination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Romanian mijloace de producție
- mijloace de producțiecombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Russian сре́дство произво́дства
- сре́дство произво́дства (srédstvo proizvódstva)combination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Spanish medios de producción
- medios de produccióncombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Swedish produktionsmedel
- produktionsmedelcombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Turkish üretim araçları
- üretim araçlarıcombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Ukrainian за́соби виробни́цтва
- за́соби виробни́цтва (zásoby vyrobnýctva)combination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Vietnamese tư liệu sản xuất
- tư liệu sản xuấtcombination of the means of labor and the subject of labor
Cite this entry
means of production. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/means%20of%20production
“means of production.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/means%20of%20production. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “means of production,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/means%20of%20production.
Source: means of production on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.