Unemploy

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To remove a person from their paid job so that they no longer have work or wages
2. To cause a worker to lose their position and stop being employed by a company or employer
3. To dismiss someone from paid work, leaving them without a job or source of income

Etymology: "Unemploy" is a plain formation: the prefix "un-", meaning "reverse" or "undo" when attached to verbs, joined to "employ." The verb "employ" came into English from Old French "employer," which in turn descends from Latin "implicare," meaning "to enfold" or "to involve," so the original sense was closer to entangling someone in a task than to hiring them. "Unemploy" follows the same pattern as verbs such as "unbind" or "unmask," reversing the action so that a worker is released from paid work rather than engaged in it.

Synonyms: dismiss, lay off, fire

Antonyms: employ, hire