Call of Justice. (ploy v employ). An expert is needed

[Disaster Master]

Hi there,

While working on some morphological stuff of English, I have come across the word “employment’.

For the first time I thought of it as consisting of three morphemes, em . ploy.ment and discussed that with a native teacher who told that the root ploy has nothing to deal with employ, and employ is a root by itself. However, his answer has not convinced me yet. I don’t know why.

Personally, what I think is that employ to ploy is the same as power to empower, and so on.


So, can the next poster start his or her reply by saying: It does not need an expert to say that….
And be a fair Judge between me and that teacher.

Let’s wait ‘n’ see.

Regards.

[David L.]

ploy: 17th century. originally Scots and northern English in the senses [pastime,] [escapade,] and [a trick] ): of unknown origin. The notion of ‘a calculated plan’ dates from the 1950s.

employ :late Middle English (formerly also as 'imploy'): from Old French 'employer', based on Latin 'implicari' ‘be involved in or attached to,’ passive form of implicare (see imply ). In the 16th and 17th cent. the word also had the senses [enfold, entangle] and [imply,] derived directly from Latin .

[Disaster Master]

It does not help too much.
However, I think I have passed by that, and accordingly, can I guess that they are totally distinct words?

Anyway, thank you David.
but by the way, could it be the same case in bed and embed?

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by Disaster Master

It does not help too much; I think I have passed by that.
However, I think I have passed by that, and accordingly, can I guess that they are totally distinctive words?

Anyway, thank you David.
but by the way, could it be the same case in bed and embed?

It looks like "employ" is not related to ploy, and your teacher is right.
em + bed are 2 morphemes.

[Disaster Master]

Originally Posted by Raymott

em + bed are 2 morphemes.

It seems that my sense did not let me down this time.
Thank you Raymott