employ: [15] Essentially, employ is the same word as imply [14] and implicate [16]. All three come ultimately from Latin implicāre ‘enfold, involve’, a compound verb formed from the prefix in- ‘in’ and plicāre ‘fold’ (source of English ply and related to English fold). This passed into Old French as emplier, which in turn was transmitted into English as imply; this originally retained the literal sense ‘enfold’, and it was only gradually that the metaphorical ‘involve as a necessary condition’ developed.
However, Old French emplier had a variant empleier, later emploier, which took a slightly different semantic route – from simply ‘involve’ to ‘involve in or apply to a particular purpose’. This was the sense in which English acquired it as employ. => fold, implicate, imply, ply
employ (v.)
early 15c., "apply or devote (something to some purpose); expend or spend," from Old French emploiier (12c.) "make use of, apply; increase; entangle; devote," from Latin implicare "enfold, involve, be connected with, unite, associate," from assimilated form of in- (see in- (2)) + plicare "to fold" (see ply (v.1)). Imply, which is the same word, retains more of the original sense. Sense of "hire, engage" first recorded in English 1580s, from meaning "involve in a particular purpose," which arose in Late Latin. Related: Employed; employing; employable.
employ (n.)
1660s, "action of employing," from French emploi, from Middle French verb employer (see employ (v.)). From 1709 as "state of being employed."
双语例句
1. The organisers have to employ performers to pull a crowd.
组织者不得不雇些演员来聚拢人气。
来自柯林斯例句
2. Others hinted that he was in the employ of the KGB.
其他人暗示他受雇于克格勃。
来自柯林斯例句
3. It was the first commercially available machine to employ artificial intelligence.
这是第一台作为商品出售的采用人工智能技术的机器。
来自柯林斯例句
4. Those in his employ were careful never to enrage him.
在他手底下干活的人都非常小心绝不去触怒他。
来自柯林斯例句
5. The tactics the police are now to employ are definitely uncompromising.
