per·son·nel

[pur-suh-nel]
noun
1.
a body of persons employed in an organization or place of work.
2.
( used with a plural verb ) persons: All personnel are being given the day off.

Origin:
1825–35; < French, noun use of personnel (adj.) personal < Late Latin persōnāle, neuter of persōnālis; replacing personal (noun), Anglicized form of French personnel; compare German Personal, variant of Personale, Italian personale. See matériel

personal, personnel (see usage note at the current entry).


2. Some usage guides object to the use of personnel as a plural. However, this use is well established and standard in all varieties of speech and writing. The use of personnel with a preceding number is largely restricted to business and government communications: Six personnel were transferred.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To personnel
00:10
Personnel is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
Collins
World English Dictionary
personnel (ˌpɜːsəˈnɛl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  Compare materiel the people employed in an organization or for a service or undertaking
2.  a.  Also called: human resources the office or department that interviews, appoints, or keeps records of employees
 b.  (as modifier): a personnel officer
 
[C19: from French, ultimately from Late Latin persōnālis personal (adj); see person]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

personnel
1837, from Fr. personnel (a contrastive term to materiél), noun use of personnel (adj.) "personal," from O.Fr. personel (see personal).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Using cranes or derricks to hoist personnel poses a significant risk to
  employees being lifted.
New research suggests flexible workplaces promote personnel well-being and more
  healthful behavior from employees.
Experts at navigating the financial-aid maze, for-profits have capitalized on
  the fact that ex-military personnel are exceptions.
But disarray among top personnel is almost always a sign of a larger
  incoherence.
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT