pay

pronunciation

How to pronounce pay in British English: UK [peɪ] word uk audio image

How to pronounce pay in American English: US [peɪ] word us audio image

Noun:

something that remunerates
Verb:

give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
convey, as of a compliment, regards, attention, etc.; bestow
do or give something to somebody in return
bear (a cost or penalty), in recompense for some action
cancel or discharge a debt
bring in
render
be worth it
dedicate
discharge or settle
make a compensation for

Word Origin

pay: pay: [12] Etymologically, to pay someone is to ‘quieten them down by giving them the money they are owed’. For the word is closely related to English peace. It comes via Old French payer from Latin pācāre ‘pacify’, a derivative of pāx ‘peace’. The notion of the irate creditor needing to be appeased by payment led to the verb being used in medieval Latin for ‘pay’. The original sense ‘pacify, please’ actually survived into English (‘Well he weened with this tiding for to pay David the king’, Cursor Mundi 1300), but by the beginning of the 16th century it had virtually died out, leaving ‘give money’ in sole possession.=> pact, peace

pay (v.): c. 1200, "to appease, pacify, satisfy," from Old French paier "to pay, pay up" (12c., Modern French payer), from Latin pacare "to please, pacify, satisfy" (in Medieval Latin especially "satisfy a creditor"), literally "make peaceful," from pax (genitive pacis) "peace" (see peace). Meaning "to give what is due for goods or services" arose in Medieval Latin and was attested in English by early 13c.; sense of "please, pacify" died out in English by 1500. Sense of "suffer, endure" (a punishment, etc.) is first recorded late 14c. Related: Paid; paying.

pay (n.): c. 1300, "satisfaction, liking, reward," from pay (v.), or else from Old French paie "payment, recompense," from paier. Meaning "money given for labor or services, wages" is from late 14c.

vt.

vt.