Etymology Explorer › English

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...

Definitions

  1. All the workers employed by a specific...

Ancestry of “workforce”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishwork"Employment."; "Effort."; Sustained effort to...
2EnglishlacquerworkArtistic or decorative work made with lacquer
3EnglishlacquerA glossy, resinous material used as a surface...
4Frenchlacquea sort of sealing wax
5Portugueselacalake; lac
6Persianلاک—
7Urduلاکھlakh, lac
8Maharastri Prakrit𑀮𑀓𑁆𑀔—
9Sanskritलक्षa mark, sign, token; a mark to aim at, target,...
10Sanskritलक्ष्perceive, observe; recognise; to mark, sign
11Sanskritरक्ष्to protect, guard, watch, take care of, save,...
12Proto-Indo-AryanHrakṣ-—
13Proto-Indo-IranianHrakš-—
14Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂lek-to protect
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂lek- →