temp

C2+ Topic:Work & Careers

US /tɛmp/ UK /tɛmp/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like tamp /ɛ/ vs /æ/

Meanings

1

noun
a temporary employee, especially in an office

The agency sent a temp to cover the receptionist's leave.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a temporary employee,... temporary substitutefill-instand-infreelancer

Opposites

permanent

Word family

Derived forms tempingtemped

Related forms temporary temporal

Etymology

A 20th-century clipping of temporary, from Latin temporarius ('lasting for a time'), from tempus ('time').

tempus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Work & Careers

External links

# temp

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /tɛmp/
**IPA (UK):** /tɛmp/

## Meanings
1. a temporary employee, especially in an office

## Examples
- The agency sent a temp to cover the receptionist's leave.

## Synonyms
- temporary
- substitute
- fill-in
- stand-in
- freelancer

## Antonyms
- permanent

## Derived Forms
- temping
- temped

## Related Forms
- temporary
- temporal

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: tempus

## Etymology
A 20th-century clipping of temporary, from Latin temporarius ('lasting for a time'), from tempus ('time').

## AI Etymology
Temp is a 20th-century clipping of temporary, from Latin temporarius ('lasting for a time'), from tempus ('time'). Important recorded forms include tempus (Latin). The modern sense continues the older lexical line without requiring a separate origin. In current use it covers a temporary employee, especially in an office. The wider family includes derived forms such as temping and temped and related words such as temporary and temporal.

## Topics
- Work & Careers

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