Also 7 em-, imploiement, -ploiment. [f. EMPLOY v. + -MENT.]
1. The action or process of employing; the state of being employed. Also in phrase, † (Man, etc.) of much, little, etc., employment.
1598. Florio, Dict., Ep. Ded. 2. Your able emploiment of such servitours.
1602. Shaks., Ham., V. i. 77. The hand of little Imployment hath the daintier sense.
1665. G. Havers, P. della Valle’s Trav. E. India, 82. Bartolomeo Pontebuoni, a good Painter, and also a Man of much employment.
1665. Boyle, Occas. Refl., V. i. (1669), 328. So meritorious an Imployment of her Greatness shew’d her to be worthy of it.
1689. Howe, Ho. Com. Deb., 29 Nov., in Cobbett, Parl. Hist. Eng. (1809), V. 463. By the Employment of Mr. Shales.
1702. Eng. Theophrast., 136. It is good to compound Employments of both [young and old].
1871. B. Stewart, Heat, 26. The superior limit of its accurate employment.
† b. The service (of a person). Phrase, At your employment. (Obs.)
1595. Shaks., John, I. i. 198. At your employment, at your seruice sir.
1603. Breton, Poste w. Packet, Love L. & Answ. I have devoted myself to your Imploiment.
2. That on which (one) is employed; business; occupation; a special errand or commission.
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., I. ii. 85. Is there not wars? Is there not imployment? Ibid. (1598), Merry W., V. v. 135. How wit may be made a Iacke-a-Lent when ’tis vpon ill imployment.
1607. in Ellis, Orig. Lett., I. 246, III. 87. His emploiments, he saith, have been five times to Venice, once into Persia.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., II. xxx. 181. The excuse of not finding employment.
1738–41. Warburton, Div. Legat., IV. vi. (R.). Had Jesus … made use of the great and learned for this employment.
1742. Richardson, Pamela, III. 345. Your Sunday Imployments charm us all.
1760. Goldsm., Cit. W., cxix. I … went from town to town, working when I could get employment.
1837. Sir F. Palgrave, Merch. & Friar (1844), Ded. 2. The character acquired for me by my employments.
† b. The use or purpose to which a thing is devoted. Obs.
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., I. i. 90. Lendings he hath detain’d for lewd employments.
1658. Whole Duty Man, viii. § 11 (1687), 71. Making it less fit for any imployment.
c. A person’s regular occupation or business; a trade or profession.
1648. Gage, West Ind., xv. (1655), 102. In their imployments they are but rich Grasiers.
1674. Brevint, Saul at Endor, 72. They subdivide their Emploiements.
1839. Alison, Hist. Europe (1849–50), I. ii. § 66. 185. They … proposed … to let every man exercise any profession … or carry on any employment.
† 3. An official position in the public service; a ‘place.’ Obs.
1647. Clarendon, Hist. Reb. (1703), II. VI. 93. Restored to their Offices, and Employments.
1708. Swift, Sacram. Test, II. I. 128. The gentlemen of employments here make a very considerable number in the house of commons.
1734. trans. Rollin’s Anc. Hist. (1827), II. II. 59. He was made prætor which seems to have been a very considerable employment.
¶ 4. = IMPLEMENT. Obs. rare–1.
1612. Chapman, Widdowes T., Wks. 1873, III. 76. My stay hath been prolonged With hunting obscure nooks for these emploiments [a crowbar and a halter].
