Hire
/haɪər/noun
To employ someone for wages or to obtain the temporary use of something for payment.
Did you know?English hire is a Germanic word with no documented occult meaning, but it has long carried the social force of binding one person’s labor to another’s payment.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*keh₂i-ro-
“A proposed ancient root behind Germanic words for wages or hire, though the exact prehistory is uncertain.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hīrōną
“To hire, rent, or obtain service for payment.”
Old English
OE
hȳrian
“To hire, rent, or pay for service.”
Middle English
ME
hiren
“To engage a person for wages; to rent or let out for payment.”
Modern English
English
hire
“To employ someone for wages or to obtain temporary use of something for payment.”