employ

pronunciation

How to pronounce employ in British English: UK [ɪmˈplɔɪ] word uk audio image

How to pronounce employ in American English: US [ɪmˈplɔɪ] word us audio image

Noun:

the state of being employed or having a job
Verb:

put into service; make work or employ (something) for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
engage or hire for work

Word Origin

employ: employ: [15] Essentially, employ is the same word as imply [14] and implicate [16]. All three come ultimately from Latin implicāre ‘enfold, involve’, a compound verb formed from the prefix in- ‘in’ and plicāre ‘fold’ (source of English ply and related to English fold). This passed into Old French as emplier, which in turn was transmitted into English as imply; this originally retained the literal sense ‘enfold’, and it was only gradually that the metaphorical ‘involve as a necessary condition’ developed.However, Old French emplier had a variant empleier, later emploier, which took a slightly different semantic route – from simply ‘involve’ to ‘involve in or apply to a particular purpose’. This was the sense in which English acquired it as employ.=> fold, implicate, imply, ply

employ (v.): early 15c., "apply or devote (something to some purpose); expend or spend," from Old French emploiier (12c.) "make use of, apply; increase; entangle; devote," from Latin implicare "enfold, involve, be connected with, unite, associate," from assimilated form of in- (see in- (2)) + plicare "to fold" (see ply (v.1)). Imply, which is the same word, retains more of the original sense. Sense of "hire, engage" first recorded in English 1580s, from meaning "involve in a particular purpose," which arose in Late Latin. Related: Employed; employing; employable.

employ (n.): 1660s, "action of employing," from French emploi, from Middle French verb employer (see employ (v.)). From 1709 as "state of being employed."

vt.

vt.