Exploitation
/ˌɛk.splɔɪˈteɪ.ʃən/noun
The act of using someone or something unfairly for profit or advantage.
Did you know?Exploitation comes through French from Latin explicare, meaning “to unfold” or “to explain,” showing how a word for revealing something became a word for taking advantage of it.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
explicāre
“to unfold, unravel, explain”
Late Latin
Latin
exploitāre
“to use, employ, work out”
Old French
French
exploiter
“to make use of, accomplish, perform”
14th–17th Century
English
exploit
“a deed, achievement, or heroic action”
19th Century
English
exploitation
“the action of using something or someone for profit or advantage”
Modern English
English
exploitation
“the act of using someone or something unfairly for benefit”