full-time
UK[ˌfʊl ˈtaɪm]US[ˌfʊl ˈtaɪm]
adj
working or involving the number of hours that are considered normal or standard
adv
on a full-time basis
Morpheme Breakdown
full
time
full
complete
time
period
Etymology
The compound adjective "full-time" is a relatively modern formation in English, emerging in the late 19th century to describe employment. Its logic is transparently literal, built from two native English words of Germanic origin. "Full," from Proto-Germanic fullaz, carries the sense of completeness, while "time," from Proto-Germanic tīmô-, refers to a measured period. The compound directly signifies "for the complete or standard period" of work, contrasting with "part-time." This construction exemplifies how English readily combines native lexical elements to create precise terms for modern social and economic concepts, with the morphemes retaining their core semantic values.
Analysis
Structure: full (complete) + time (period)
full: From Old English full, meaning "complete, entire, abundant." It functions as an adjective modifying the noun 'time' to indicate completeness of the temporal period.
time: From Old English tīma, meaning "a period, season, era." It functions as the core noun specifying the dimension being measured.
Examples
She is looking for a full-time position in marketing.
He studies full-time and has no other job.
The benefits are only available to full-time employees.