... the use of the word "plant" in the industrial sense is no new thing, and it was not invented by TVA. Peopple in the 40s and 50s referred to the installations in the Oak Ridge Nuclear Resercation as plants... e.e. "What plant do you work at?" "I work at the K25 plant."

In addition:
The words factory and plant often mean the same thing.

Although the word 'plant' as several meanings, in this answer we will just deal with its use when referring to 'industrial' matters. But first we will consider 'factory'.

A FACTORY is a building or buildings where something is manufactured, i.e. where manufacturing processes are carried out. (from Latin factor, 'maker')

PLANT, in the industrial/manufacturing sense, has two meanings:

1. machinery, equipment, and often the buildings etc., used in industrial processes, e.g. 'a manufacturing plant',
2. or, a factory!

The first recorded use of the word plant to mean 'the building for an industrial process', was in 1789. It was used in the sense of a building being placed or 'planted' in that place for that task.
SOURCE: Link...

See also: Link...

Main Entry: 2plant
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English plante, from Old English, from Latin planta
Date: before 12th century

1 a : a young tree, vine, shrub, or herb planted or suitable for planting b : any of a kingdom (Plantae) of multicellular eukaryotic mostly photosynthetic organisms typically lacking locomotive movement or obvious nervous or sensory organs and possessing cellulose cell walls
2 a : the land, buildings, machinery, apparatus, and fixtures employed in carrying on a trade or an industrial business b : a factory or workshop for the manufacture of a particular product; also : power plant c : the total facilities available for production or service d : the buildings and other physical equipment of an institution

OR

plant (plnt)
n.
1. Botany
a. Any of various photosynthetic, eukaryotic, multicellular organisms of the kingdom Plantae characteristically producing embryos, containing chloroplasts, having cellulose cell walls, and lacking the power of locomotion.
b. A plant having no permanent woody stem; an herb.
2.
a. A building or group of buildings for the manufacture of a product; a factory.
b. The equipment, including machinery, tools, instruments, and fixtures and the buildings containing them, necessary for an industrial or manufacturing operation.
3. The buildings, equipment, and fixtures of an institution: the entire plant of a university.

A quick search revealed these bits of information about the use and definitions of the word plant. One source is the Latin infinitive verb plantare which means that you put something in a certain place for it to be there and stay and function there. That easily relates to "plant" as a factory or use of the phrase "physical plant" or such as in talking about a colege or university.

And since the dictionary examples of plant included a power plant, and some power plants do burn coal, then it could be true to say that SOME plants do, in fact, burn coal. But the fewer the better :-)

RB

Just like they called this disaster a "spill". Can't use Bounty on this. The "quicker-picker-upper" just won't work.