"Resource" as a verb
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About a month ago I was getting ready to come into work one morning while watching CNN. The news channel was broadcasting a speech by President Obama in which he was outlining a new strategy for our efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan. A little over halfway through, I heard him use the word "resource" in a very interesting way. Here's a snippet from the transcript:
For three years, our commanders have been clear about the resources they need for training. And those resources have been denied because of the war in Iraq. Now, that will change.... And later this spring we will deploy approximately 4,000 U.S. troops to train Afghan security forces. For the first time, this will truly resource our effort to train and support the Afghan army and police.His first couple of uses of the word "resource" are just what I'd expect--using the word as a noun (which, I had assumed, was the only acceptable form for this word). However, that last use (in bold) has the word functioning as a verb, something I hadn't thought acceptable (or at least not a way I had ever heard the word used). So off to the OED I go in hopes of substantiating my view, only to find that the word has, in fact, been used as a verb (you have to scroll down to the bottom of the entry to see that). It's apparently been used more often as a participle (i.e., resourcing or resourced) but, nonetheless, there is precedent for the President using it as a verb.
What do you think? Have you heard this usage of resource before? What other words have you heard/read taking on unusual forms?