the compound "working-class" is a relatively modern formation, emerging in english during the early 19th century alongside the industrial revolution. the first element, "working", derives from the old english verb 'weorcian', which has proto-germanic origins related to doing or making. the second element, "class", entered english via french from the latin 'classis', a term originally referring to a summoning or division of the roman people, particularly for military or taxation purposes. the literal combination, "the laboring division," directly reflects the term's sociological function to categorize the segment of the population whose primary economic value comes from their manual or industrial labor, in contrast to the owning or professional classes.

Structure: working (to labor) + class (social rank) working: from old english 'weorcian' (to work, operate), functioning as a present participle/adjectival element meaning "engaged in labor". class: from latin 'classis' (a division, fleet, class of citizens), functioning as a noun/adjectival element meaning "a social or economic rank".