therblig

T1H4E1R1B3L1I1G2

noun

Any of a set of fundamental motions required for a worker to perform a manual operation.

Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nountherblig (plural therbligs)

plural therbligs

  1. time and motion studyAny of a set of fundamental motions required for a worker to perform a manual operation.

    Minimize your therblig until it becomes automatic; this doubles your effective lifetime—and thereby gives time to enjoy butterflies and kittens and rainbows.

    1973, Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

Origin

By partial reversal of the name of its inventor, F. B. Gilbreth, American engineer.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Gilbrethblighter
Cite this entry
APA

therblig. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/therblig

MLA

“therblig.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/therblig. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “therblig,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/therblig.

Source: therblig on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.