It hasn't changed much. Still retaining the conceptualization of an undertaking, especially a large or bold one. And we see that in the origin of the early Enterprises. Of the two under the Continental Navy one was captured from the British in a raid, the other a sponsored Privateer. Both involving more risk and daring than a normal warship.

The third, and most famous of the early Big E's also had a slightly unique origin. The 1799 schooner was built in a private yard in Baltimore and purchased rather than built by a naval constructor at a Navy Yard. Several notable early warships emerged from private yards, or were funded by local communities over being built by the navy itself in particular for ships smaller than frigates. She would serve with notice in the first Barbary War, living up to her name and capturing an enemy ship.