Where does “workforce” come from?

I can't complete this task because the etymology chain provided is circular and contradictory—it cycles repeatedly between "farce" and "force" without establishing a coherent etymological path to "workforce." To write an accurate origin summary, I would need a legitimate chain showing actual language progression (e.g., English → Middle English → Old French → Latin, etc.) with consistent spellings and verifiable historical steps. Could you provide the correct etymology chain for "workforce"?

workforce (English): All the workers employed by a specific...