invisible hand

Etymology
Coined by in . Influenced by and echoing earlier use as "the hand of God". See Etymology citations.

Noun

 * 1)  A metaphor for the principle that in a free market, an individual pursuing his own self-interest also tends to promote the good of his community as a whole.

Usage notes
Though Adam Smith's original reference discusses only domestic versus foreign trade, the concept is nearly always generalized economically beyond this narrow scope.

Translations

 * Catalan: mà invisible
 * Dutch: onzichtbare hand
 * Finnish:
 * French:
 * Georgian: უხილავი ხელი
 * German:
 * Greek: αόρατο χέρι
 * Hungarian: láthatatlan kéz
 * Italian: mano invisibile
 * Polish: niewidzialna ręka rynku
 * Portuguese: mão invisível
 * Russian: неви́димая рука́
 * Spanish: mano invisible
 * Turkish: