Main Entry: ¹wage

Pronunciation: \ˈwāj\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, pledge, recompense, from Anglo-French wage, gage, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wetti pledge — more at wed

Date: 14th century

1 a : a payment usually of money for labor or services usually according to contract and on an hourly, daily, or piecework basis —often used in plural b plural : the share of the national product attributable to labor as a factor in production
2 : recompense, reward —usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction <the wages of sin is death — Romans 6:23 (Revised Standard Version)>

— wage·less \ˈwāj-ləs\ adjective