unemployed

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪd/^[1]

Etymology

It is from English un- + employed, un- meaning not, with the past participle of employ.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of merchandise and the like, not put to use or applied to a purpose: the early 15th century (unemploied) in Etymonline;^[2] the OED's first quotation is from 1600.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Of people, not engaged in work, temporarily out of work, it is from the 1660s.^[2][4] The noun, unemployed persons collectively, is from 1782.^[2][4] There seems never to have been a verb unemploy, though disemploy was used from the 1610s.^[2]

Timeline

• early 15th century – not put to use.^[2]
• 1667 – out of work.^[4]
• 1782 – the unemployed.^[4][2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Without paid work; jobless, out of work.
2. Not in use; idle.

Noun

1. The unemployed: people without paid work.

Word family

• unemployment

Related words

• employ
• employed

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press