guilds
Medieval craft unions
Guilds are associations of craftspeople or merchants formed to protect shared interests.
Medieval guilds controlled who could practice a trade, set quality standards, and trained apprentices.
The term extends to any organized group with common pursuits: a writers' guild, the Screen Actors Guild.
In video games, guilds are player-formed groups who collaborate on quests or raids.
Kinship among men
- camaraderieGoodwill among companions
- solidarityUnity among allies
- fraternitySpirit of brotherly connection
- kinshipState of being related
bond · loyalty · mutual aid · benevolence · welfare · apprenticeship · mentorship · initiation
Group with shared aim
- federationUnion of semi-autonomous states
- unionJoining into one
- consortiumCooperative group for ventures
- leagueAssociation or distance unit
society · chapter · membership · dues · charter · bylaws · officers · meetings
Learner bound to employer
- journeymanQualified trade worker
- masterAuthority or controller
- craftsmanSkilled manual worker
- charterFounding organizational document
livery · warden · alderman · burgher · merchant · tradesman · monopoly · hallmark
Forging iron by hand
- weavingInterlacing strands into fabric
- potteryFired clay objects
- tanneryLeather-making facility
- leatherworkCrafting with treated hides
stonemasonry · glassblowing · tailoring · cobbling · silversmith · goldsmith · carpentry · dyeing
brotherhood
Kinship among men
- camaraderieGoodwill among companions
- solidarityUnity among allies
- fraternitySpirit of brotherly connection
kinship · bond · loyalty · mutual aid · benevolence · welfare · apprenticeship · mentorship · initiation · tradition
association
Group with shared aim
- federationUnion of semi-autonomous states
- unionJoining into one
- consortiumCooperative group for ventures
league · society · chapter · membership · dues · charter · bylaws · officers · meetings · certification
apprentice
Learner bound to employer
- journeymanQualified trade worker
- masterAuthority or controller
- craftsmanSkilled manual worker
charter · livery · warden · alderman · burgher · merchant · tradesman · monopoly · hallmark · assay
blacksmithing
Forging iron by hand
leatherwork · stonemasonry · glassblowing · tailoring · cobbling · silversmith · goldsmith · carpentry · dyeing · cooperage
party
Gathering for celebration
recruitment · officers · ranks · loot · dungeon · alliance · faction · server · discord · endgame
- craft guildscraft unions
- mutual aidteamwork, helping, sharing, lending, cooperation
- Medieval Europekings, queens, knights, castles, castle
- Medieval Historyfeudalism, Black Death, crusades, crusade, knight
- medieval societyserfs, noble lineage, peasants, serf, heir
- cooperationteamwork, collaboration, joint effort, mutual aid, mutual support
guildsindependent contractors
Self-employed service providers
freelancers · sole proprietors · gig workers · solopreneurs · self-employed
guildsfree markets
Commerce without state intervention
open competition · industrial capitalism · factory system · mass production · free trade
guildsat-will employment
Job without guaranteed duration
casual labor · wage slavery · sweatshops · day laborers · precariat
- guild meetingsGatherings of professional organizations
- guild hallCraftsmen's association headquarters
- medieval guildsCraftsmen's professional associations
- writer's guildProfessional scribes' organization
- Screen Actors GuildEntertainment industry labor union
- craft guildAssociation of skilled tradespeople