Farmworker

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who contributes to agriculture by working in fields and managing crops or animals
2. An individual whose job involves performing manual labor on a farm, which may include planting, tending, and harvesting
3. An individual hired to carry out physical tasks such as planting, harvesting, and caring for animals on agricultural land

Etymology: Farmworker is a plain compound: "farm" joined to "worker," with no hidden history to uncover. The first half, "farm," comes from Old French "ferme," meaning a fixed rent or lease, which passed into English with that sense of an leased holding. The second half, "worker," is built from the Old English verb "wyrċan," meaning "to work," with the agent ending "-ere," which marked a person who performs an action. Middle English had "werkere" and "worchere" for a worker, and "worker" in its modern form took over from them. Put together, the word simply names someone who works on a farm. Its parts have stayed close to their original senses, so the compound needs no special explanation beyond the two pieces.

Synonyms: agricultural worker, laborer, field worker