wage

Noun · Verb
Synonyms: payearningsremunerationsalaryengage

WordNet 3.0

Noun (1)

  1. something that remunerates“wages were paid by check”“he wasted his pay on drink”“they saved a quarter of all their earnings”Synonyms: payearningsremunerationsalary

Verb (1)

  1. carry on (wars, battles, or campaigns)“Napoleon and Hitler waged war against all of Europe”Synonyms: engage
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Wage \Wage\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Waged; p. pr. & vb. n. Waging.] [OE. wagen, OF. wagier, gagier, to pledge, promise, F. gager to wager, lay, bet, fr. LL. wadium a pledge; of Teutonic origin; cf. Goth. wadi a pledge, gawadj[=o]n to pledge, akin to E. wed, G. wette a wager. See Wed, and cf. Gage.] [1913 Webster]

1.To pledge; to hazard on the event of a contest; to stake; to bet, to lay; to wager; as, to wage a dollar. --Hakluyt. [1913 Webster]

My life I never but as a pawn To wage against thy enemies.— Shak.[1913 Webster]

2.To expose one's self to, as a risk; to incur, as a danger; to venture; to hazard. "Too weak to wage an instant trial with the king." --Shak. [1913 Webster]

To wake and wage a danger profitless.— Shak.[1913 Webster]

3.To engage in, as a contest, as if by previous gage or pledge; to carry on, as a war. [1913 Webster]

[He pondered] which of all his sons was fit To reign and wage immortal war with wit.— Dryden.[1913 Webster]
The two are waging war, and the one triumphs by the destruction of the other.— I. Taylor.[1913 Webster]

4.To adventure, or lay out, for hire or reward; to hire out. [Obs.] "Thou . . . must wage thy works for wealth." --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

5.To put upon wages; to hire; to employ; to pay wages to. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

Abundance of treasure which he had in store, wherewith he might wage soldiers.— Holinshed.[1913 Webster]
I would have them waged for their labor.— Latimer.[1913 Webster]

6.(O. Eng. Law) To give security for the performance of. --Burrill. [1913 Webster]

To wage battle (O. Eng. Law), to give gage, or security, for joining in the duellum, or combat. See Wager of battel, under Wager, n. --Burrill.

To wage one's law (Law), to give security to make one's law. See Wager of law, under Wager, n. [1913 Webster]

Wage \Wage\, v. i. To bind one's self; to engage. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]
Wage \Wage\, n. [OF. wage, gage, guarantee, engagement. See Wage, v. t. ] [1913 Webster]

1.That which is staked or ventured; that for which one incurs risk or danger; prize; gage. [Obs.] "That warlike wage." --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

2.That for which one labors; meed; reward; stipulated payment for service performed; hire; pay; compensation; -- at present generally used in the plural. See Wages. "My day's wage." --Sir W. Scott. "At least I earned my wage." --Thackeray. "Pay them a wage in advance." --J. Morley. "The wages of virtue." --Tennyson. [1913 Webster]

By Tom Thumb, a fairy page, He sent it, and doth him engage, By promise of a mighty wage, It secretly to carry.— Drayton.[1913 Webster]
Our praises are our wages.— Shak.[1913 Webster]
Existing legislation on the subject of wages.— Encyc. Brit.[1913 Webster]

Note: Wage is used adjectively and as the first part of compounds which are usually self-explaining; as, wage worker, or wage-worker; wage-earner, etc. [1913 Webster]

Board wages. See under 1st Board. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Hire; reward; stipend; salary; allowance; pay; compensation; remuneration; fruit. [1913 Webster]

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