layoff

layoff
layoff (n.) also lay-off, lay off; 1889, "rest, respite;" from LAY (Cf. lay) (v.) + OFF (Cf. off). Via seasonal labor with periodic down time, it came to have a sense of "temporary release from employment," and by 1960s was being used somewhat euphemistically for permanent releases of masses of workers by employers. The verbal phrase lay off is attested from 1868 as "dismiss" (an employee); meaning "stop disturbing" is from 1908.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • layoff — I noun banishment, cashiering, cessation, desistance, discarding, discharge, discontinuance, discontinuation, disemployment, dismissal, displacement, ejection, ejectment, elimination, expulsion, firing, halt, idling, interruption, letting go,… …   Law dictionary

  • layoff — [n] dismissal from job or responsibility cutback, discharge, early retirement, respite, unemployment; concept 351 Ant. employment, hiring …   New thesaurus

  • layoff — ☆ layoff [lā′ôf΄ ] n. [< phr. LAY OFF (see LAY1)] the act of laying off; esp., temporary unemployment, or the period of this …   English World dictionary

  • layoff — {n.} A systematic or periodical dismissal of employees from a factory or a firm. * /Due to the poor economy, the car manufacturer announced a major layoff starting next month./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • layoff — {n.} A systematic or periodical dismissal of employees from a factory or a firm. * /Due to the poor economy, the car manufacturer announced a major layoff starting next month./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • layoff — noun A systematic or periodical dismissal of employees from a factory or a firm. Due to the poor economy, the car manufacturer announced a major layoff starting next month …   Словарь американских идиом

  • layoff — [[t]le͟ɪɒf, AM ɔːf[/t]] layoffs 1) N COUNT: usu pl When there are layoffs in a company, people are made unemployed because there is no more work for them in the company. It will close more than 200 stores nationwide resulting in the layoffs of an …   English dictionary

  • layoff — noun a companywide layoff Syn: dismissal, discharge; informal sacking, firing; downsizing; the sack, the boot, the ax Ant: recruitment …   Thesaurus of popular words

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