workforce

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈwɜːk.fɔːs/, US /ˈwɝːk.fɔːrs/^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound, from English work + force.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Workers collectively: 1866 in Merriam-Webster,^[3] and by 1947 in Etymonline.^[2]

Semantic evolution

An older word, workfolk (late 15th century), meant farm labourers.^[2]

Timeline

• late 15th century – workfolk.^[2]
• 1866 – workforce.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. All the workers employed by a company or on a job or project.
2. All the people available for work in a country or area: the country's workforce is growing.

Related words

• work
• force
• labour force

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster