Workforce
/ˈwɜːrk.fɔːrs/noun
The total number of people employed or available for employment in a particular organization, industry, or area.
Did you know?The modern compound became prominent during the Industrial Age, when employers increasingly treated workers collectively as an economic force rather than only as individual laborers.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*werg-
“To do or work; the ancient root behind English words connected with making and labor.”
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*wurką
“Work or labor; the Germanic ancestor of English work.”
Old English
Old English
weorc
“Work, action, deed, or labor.”
Latin
Latin
fortis
“Strong, powerful, or vigorous; the root that ultimately produced force through Romance languages.”
Old French
Old French
force
“Strength, power, or physical might.”
19th Century
English
workforce
“A collective body of workers, especially understood as an economic or industrial resource.”