Implement

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɪmpləmənt/

Definitions

1. A tool or instrument used to carry out a particular task or function; to put a plan, decision, or agreement into effect; to provide or furnish with the necessary means to accomplish something
2. A device or piece of equipment designed for specific work or activity; the act of executing or enforcing a policy, plan, or law; to supply the means or tools required for completion or action
3. An article or utensil serving a practical purpose in work or activity; the process of applying or enforcing a method, rule, or program; to equip or set in motion by applying necessary resources or steps

Etymology: The verb "implement" began as a way of talking about filling things up. Its ancestor is Late Latin "implēmentum," meaning "a filling up," built from Latin "impleō," "to fill up." The core idea of completeness or fulfilment sat at the heart of the word from the start, and it is the thread connecting its two modern senses. The step from "filling" to "tool" is the surprising part. A tool is something that completes or fulfils a task, so the word's sense shifted from the act of filling toward the means by which a job gets done. Meanwhile the verb sense, to carry out a plan or put something into effect, follows the same logic: to implement a decision is to fill in its details and make it real.

Synonyms: execute, carry out, perform, enforce, apply

Antonyms: neglect, ignore, abandon, disregard, forsake