Hireling

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈhaɪ.ə.lɪŋ/

Definitions

1. A person hired to work for another, typically for wages, often with the implication of lacking loyalty or moral principles
2. A person employed for payment who works temporarily without personal commitment or ethical standards
3. An individual engaged for wages whose loyalty is questionable and whose service is motivated purely by financial compensation

Etymology: The word "hireling" is a plain English formation: "hire" plus the suffix "-ling," which in Old English marked a person connected with something, as in "darling" or "foundling." Its direct ancestor is Old English "hȳrling," meaning simply an employee, so the word began life as a neutral description of someone working for wages, with no hint of disloyalty. Its cousins across the North Sea show the same sense. Dutch "huurling" still carries the meaning of a mercenary, and German "Heuerling" was used for a farm labourer who rented a small holding in return for work. The shared ancestor, reconstructed as "hūʀijuling" in Proto-West Germanic, points to a common Germanic stock of words built on the idea of hiring. The moral sting came later. Over the centuries, the word increasingly described people whose service could be bought, which is why it came to suggest someone who will work for anyone who pays, with little regard for principle.

Synonyms: mercenary, employee

Antonyms: employer