A recent opinion piece takes a look at the word “ergonomic” and how it’s become fashionable to tack it onto everything, whether it’s ergonomic or not. The writer pokes a bit of fun at the word (and others) that is “never defined, just stuck in there because it’s such an attractive word, one that sounds as though the person using it is highly educated, or has special knowledge on the subject. It sounds so exotic, yet almost familiar, that we let it slide by because we feel that even if we don’t really know its meaning, we should, but we’re a little embarrassed to ask.”
On a related note, you might be interested in short article Buyer Beware: Is That “Ergonomic Chair” Really Ergonomic? if you’re chair shopping. It discusses common misrepresentations of the word ergonomic and what to actually look for when looking for an office chair.