Etymologically
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workplace

Etymology and origin of the English word workplace

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1708

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈwɜːk.pleɪs/, US /ˈwɝːk.pleɪs/[1]

Etymology

It is a hybrid compound of work and place.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A place where work is done: 1708 in Merriam-Webster Unabridged;[4] about 1828 in the Collegiate and 1828 in Etymonline; 1820–30 in the RHWU.[5][2][3]

Semantic evolution

The general sense, the work setting as a whole, as in safety in the workplace, is a modern extension.[6]

Timeline

  • 1708 – first known use.[4]
  • 1828 – in Etymonline.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A place such as an office or factory where people are employed.
  2. The work setting in general.

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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Cite this entry

“Workplace.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/workplace. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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