Etymologically
Log in

workforce

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 13:06. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

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.

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