1 a building or buildings containing plant or equipment for manufacturing machinery or goods.
2 hist. a merchant company's foreign trading station.
Phrases and idioms:
factory farm a farm employing factory farming. factory farming a system of rearing livestock using industrial or intensive methods. factory floor workers in industry as distinct from management. factory ship Brit. a fishing ship with facilities for immediate processing of the catch.
Etymology: Port. feitoria and LL factorium
Useful english dictionary. 2012.