turnover

Turnover began as a simple compound: turn + over. In the 1650s, it described the physical act of turning something upside down or reversing it. A turnover was also a type of pastry where dough was folded over a filling—the apple turnover, first recorded in 1798.

The commercial meaning appeared in the early 1800s. Business turnover described how quickly inventory was sold and replaced—how fast stock 'turned over.' A shop with high turnover moved goods rapidly. The metaphor was physical: goods arrived, sat on shelves briefly, then left. The faster they turned, the healthier the business.

By the late 1800s, turnover had expanded to describe the total volume of business conducted in a period. British English still uses turnover where American English prefers revenue. The word also migrated to describe employee turnover—how quickly workers left and were replaced. The first academic study of labor turnover was published by Sumner Slichter at Harvard in 1919.

Sports adopted the word in the 1900s. A turnover in basketball or football means losing possession—the ball turns over to the other team. Every domain that uses turnover shares the same underlying idea: something that was in your possession is no longer. Goods, money, people, the ball—all turn over.