personnel

[pur-suh-nel]

noun

1. a body of persons employed in an organization or place of work.

2. (used with a plural verb),  persons.

   All personnel are being given the day off.

3. personnel department.

personnel

/ ˌpɜːsəˈnɛl /

noun

1. the people employed in an organization or for a service or undertaking Compare materiel

2. 1. Also called: human resources. the office or department that interviews, appoints, or keeps records of employees

   2. ( as modifier )

      a personnel officer

Usage

Some usage guides object to the use of personnel as a plural. However, this use is well established and standard in all varieties of speech and writing. The use of personnel with a preceding number is largely restricted to business and government communications: Six personnel were transferred.

Word History and Origins

Origin of personnel¹

1825–35; < French, noun use of personnel (adj.) personal < Late Latin persōnāle, neuter of persōnālis; replacing personal (noun), Anglicized form of French personnel; compare German Personal, variant of Personale, Italian personale. See matériel

Word History and Origins

Origin of personnel¹

C19: from French, ultimately from Late Latin persōnālis personal (adj); see _person

Example Sentences

Service personnel were thrown from their horses and the animals ran loose, smashing into vehicles, including a double-decker bus, resulting in a number of injuries.

Read more on BBC

A team of 200 US military personnel will "oversee" the Gaza truce, senior US officials said Thursday.

Read more on Barron's

Adding to the pain, 1.3 million active-duty service military personnel are set to miss their pay due next Wednesday -- something that has not happened in any of the funding shutdowns through modern history.

Read more on Barron's

The government shutdown has caused BLS personnel to pause collecting, processing, or publishing economic data for the duration of the shutdown.

Read more on Barron's

Law-enforcement officials told members of the public to avoid the area to allow emergency personnel to do their work.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cadre 
• crew 
• group 
• organization 
• people 
• staff 
• troop 
• work force www.thesaurus.com