Outsource

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈaʊtˌsoɹs/

Definitions

1. To arrange for specific tasks or services to be performed by external entities rather than conducting them internally
2. To delegate functions or responsibilities to external suppliers rather than performing them within the organization
3. To shift job functions or tasks to an external firm instead of handling them inside the organization

Etymology: "Outsource" is a plain compound: "out-" added to "source," the familiar word for the origin or supplier of something. The "source" half is the more interesting one. It traces back through Old French "sourdre," meaning "to rise up" or "to spring forth," itself from Latin "surgere," "to rise," so a source was originally the place where water springs up out of the ground. The "out-" prefix in "outsource" pulls the word toward the sense of sending work beyond the organization's own walls, which is what the modern verb describes.

Synonyms: contract out, delegate, subcontract, farm out

Antonyms: in-house, internalize