to hire or engage the services of (a person or persons); provide employment for; have or keep in one's service: This factory employs thousands of people.
2.
to keep busy or at work; engage the attentions of: He employs himself by reading after work.
3.
to make use of (an instrument, means, etc.); use; apply: to employ a hammer to drive a nail.
4.
to occupy or devote (time, energies, etc.): I employ my spare time in reading. I employ all my energies in writing.
–noun
5.
employment; service: to be in someone's employ.
[Origin: 1425–75; late ME employen < AF, MF emploier ≪ L implicāre to enfold (LL: to engage); see implicate]
To devote (time, for example) to an activity or purpose: employed several months in learning Swahili.
n.
The state of being employed: in the employ of the city.
Archaic Occupation.
[Middle English emploien, from Old French emploier, from Latin implicāre, to involve : in-, in; see en-1 + plicāre, to fold; see plek- in Indo-European roots.]
em·ploy'a·bil'i·ty n., em·ploy'a·ble adj., em·ploy'er n.
c.1460, from M.Fr. employer, from O.Fr. empleier, from L. implicare "enfold, involve, be connected with," from in- "in" + plicare "to fold" see ply (v.)). Sense of "hire, engage" first recorded in Eng. 1584, from "involve in a particular purpose." Imply, which is the same word, retains more of the original sense. Employee (mainly U.S.) is attested from 1850, from Fr. employé (fem. employeé), pp. of employer.
the state of being employed or having a job; "they are looking for employment"; "he was in the employ of the city" [syn: employment] [ant: unemployment]
verb
1.
put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose; "use your head!"; "we only use Spanish at home"; "I can't use this tool"; "Apply a magnetic field here"; "This thinking was applied to many projects"; "How do you utilize this tool?"; "I apply this rule to get good results"; "use the plastic bags to store the food"; "He doesn't know how to use a computer" [syn: use]
2.
engage or hire for work; "They hired two new secretaries in the department"; "How many people has she employed?" [syn: hire] [ant: can]
Em*ploy"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Employed; p. pr. & vb. n. Employing.] [F. employer, fr. L. implicare to fold into, infold, involve, implicate, engage; in + plicare to fold. See Ply, and cf. Imply, Implicate.]1. To inclose; to infold. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 2. To use; to have in service; to cause to be engaged in doing something; -- often followed by in, about, on, or upon, and sometimes by to; as: (a) To make use of, as an instrument, a means, a material, etc., for a specific purpose; to apply; as, to employ the pen in writing, bricks in building, words and phrases in speaking; to employ the mind; to employ one's energies. This is a day in which the thoughts . . . ought to be employed on serious subjects. --Addison. (b) To occupy; as, to employ time in study. (c) To have or keep at work; to give employment or occupation to; to intrust with some duty or behest; as, to employ a hundred workmen; to employ an envoy. Jonathan . . . and Jahaziah . . . were employed about this matter. --Ezra x. 15. Thy vineyard must employ the sturdy steer To turn the glebe. --Dryden. To employ one's self, to apply or devote one's time and attention; to busy one's self. Syn: To use; busy; apply; exercise; occupy; engross; engage. See Use.
Em*ploy"\, n. [Cf. F. emploi.] That which engages or occupies a person; fixed or regular service or business; employment. The whole employ of body and of mind. --Pope. In one's employ, in one's service.
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