Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Old French
Origin: esploit 'result, success', from Latin explicitus, from explicare; EXPLICATE

exploit

1 verb
     
ex‧ploit1 W3 [transitive]
1 to treat someone unfairly by asking them to do things for you, but giving them very little in return - used to show disapproval:
Homeworkers can easily be exploited by employers.
2 to try to get as much as you can out of a situation, sometimes unfairly:
The violence was blamed on thugs exploiting the situation.
3 to use something fully and effectively:
The new TV companies are fully exploiting the potential of satellite transmission.
4 to develop and use minerals, forests, oil etc for business or industry:
the urgent need to exploit the resources of the Irish Sea
—exploitable adjective
—exploiter noun [countable]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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