WAGE

[tcward]

With discussion of raising the national minimum wage here in the US, my mind drifted lately to the origins of this word...

wage (v.)
c.1320, "to pledge, deposit as a pledge," from O.N.Fr. wagier (O.Fr. gagier), from wage (see wage (n.)). Meaning "to carry on" (of war, etc.) is attested from 1456, probably from earlier sense of "to offer as a gage of battle" (c.1430).

wage (n.)
c.1300, "a payment for services rendered," also in M.E. "a pledge of security" (1338), from O.N.Fr. wage (O.Fr. guage) "pledge," from Frank. *wadja- (cf. O.E. wedd, Gothic wadi "pledge"); see wed. Mod.Fr. cognate gages (pl.) means "wages of a domestic," one of a plethora of Fr. words for different classes, e.g. traitement (university professor), paye, salaire (workman), solde (soldier), récompense, prix. The O.E. (and usual Gmc.) word was lean, related to loan (cf. Goth. laun, Du. loon, Ger. lohn)

I was fascinated with all the different terms the French came up with for paying different classes of people.

And in case you're wondering, as I was...

wager (n.)
1303, from Anglo-Fr. wageure, from O.N.Fr. wagier "to pledge" (see wage (n.)). The verb is first recorded 1602.

[Slava]

I was fascinated with all the different terms the French came up with for paying different classes of people.

Aye, they did come up with quite a few there. We have some different ones, but as we are a classless society, they don't play the same role.

Wages here are for timed labor, by the hour/day/etc.

Salary is a lump sum for a certain amount of work, no matter how long it takes. Professors earn a salary. If they are worth their salt, that is.

Pay is all over the map, with many, many meanings.

Stipend and grant also come to mind.

I like the fact that wage is related to wed. Talk about a wager!