An interesting question followed by an enchanting debate! If I remember correct, once Mark Twain observed " the difference between an "exactly right word' and "the right word' is very vast like the difference between 'lightening' and 'the lightening bug". This is convincingly true because etimological interpretations change not only based on linguistics but also on anthropology. Of course, Pali Tripathy's initial query revolves around the practical difference between the terms 'workman' and 'employee' in the legal context and the brilliant answers given by people like Samvedan and Nalluchamy bring out the contextual and purposive differences in the different legislations employing either the word 'employee' or 'workman'. The recent renaming of the erstwhile " Workmen's Compensation Act,1923" as " The employees' Compensation Act,1923" is in tune with the reasons cited by the above two gentlemen by not only replacing the word 'workman' wherever it occured but also expanding its connotation by the deletions therein through the amending Act. However, the still-persistent confusion in the minds of friends like Krishna Prasath p and Tarsem Singh holds the quote of Mark Twain good, I think. So, let me try to explain the difference between the two terms that can be used interchangeably in a general context and the reasons for it from the angle of human relations. In the early stages of social living hard work was shared by all according to every one's physical strength. Eventually the stronger emerged as the leader of the group. The invention of agriculture paved way for the formation of feudalism from nomadism. This resulted in enslavement of the landless labour by the landed gentry. Thus came into existence a system of external or social human relationship called Master and Slave/Serf. Its negative impact caused its modification of the relationship to that of Master/Owner and Servant. The Industrial Revolution triggered by the advancement in Science and technology metamorphosed into large-scale manufacturing/ production which eventually culminated in the formation of giant industrial corporations or joint-stock companies to augment huge financial investments. The simultaneous problems associated with such growth like effective utilisation of the factors of production and large-scale employment of people under a single roof opened the gates for a new system called management. The harnessing of complicated multitudinal tasks rendered the system of management all the more complex which eventually resuted in the separation of ownership from management. Therefore, the owner need not be the master now. Since their relationship is strictly confined to the terms of employment or the contract of service, the master has become the employer and the servant has become the person employed or employee. In a way all the persons employed for hire or reward are employees. Therefore, 'employee' is a generic term indicative of the factum of being employed for hire. However, certain distinguishable authority-oriented features like the enabling powers of representation,hire and fire, supervision,control over the lower rungs of hierarchy call for distinction among the employees. Hence the species of Managers, Supervisors and Workmen or Workers. Thus, in the pyramidal structure of employment Managers occupy the highest position, the supervisors the middle and the workmen are at the bottom. Since the objective of a Welfare State is social justice to all its citizens and particularly those at the bottom are more, their problems have to be addressed and redressed through appropriate labour legislations. Hence the employment of different terms such as workman/worker, employee, person employed etc., depending upon the species to be protected by the respective employment legislations.