Employ
/ɪmˈplɔɪ/noun
To use someone’s services or to put something to work.
Did you know?Employ ultimately comes from a Latin root meaning “to fold in,” which also feeds into the idea of implicating or involving someone in something.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
implicāre
“to entwine, enfold, involve”
Late Latin
Late Latin
implicāre
“to involve, entangle”
Old French
Old French
employer
“to use, apply, put to work”
14th Century
Middle English
employen
“to use, occupy, make use of”
Modern English
English
employ
“to engage the services of; to use or apply something”
Explore more surprising origins