Definitions for: Wage


[n] something that remunerates; "wages were paid by check"; "he wasted his pay on drink"; "they saved a quarter of all their earnings"
[v] as of wars, battles, or campaigns; "Napoleon and Hitler waged war against all of Europe"



Webster (1913) Definition: 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.]
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.

My life I never but as a pawn To wage against thy
enemies. --Shak.

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.

To wake and wage a danger profitless. --Shak.

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

[He pondered] which of all his sons was fit To reign
and wage immortal war with wit. --Dryden.

The two are waging war, and the one triumphs by the
destruction of the other. --I. Taylor.

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

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

Abundance of treasure which he had in store,
wherewith he might wage soldiers. --Holinshed.

I would have them waged for their labor. --Latimer.

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

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.


Wage, v. i.
To bind one's self; to engage. [Obs.]


Wage, n. [OF. wage, gage, guarantee, engagement. See
Wage, v. t. ]
1. That which is staked or ventured; that for which one
incurs risk or danger; prize; gage. [Obs.] ``That warlike
wage.'' --Spenser.

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.

By Tom Thumb, a fairy page, He sent it, and doth him
engage, By promise of a mighty wage, It secretly to
carry. --Drayton.

Our praises are our wages. --Shak.

Existing legislation on the subject of wages.
--Encyc. Brit.

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.

Board wages. See under 1st Board.

Syn: Hire; reward; stipend; salary; allowance; pay;
compensation; remuneration; fruit.

Synonyms: earnings, engage, pay, remuneration, salary

See Also: combat pay, double time, fight, found, half-pay, living wage, merit pay, minimum wage, offer, pay envelope, pay packet, payroll, paysheet, provide, put up, regular payment, sick pay, strike pay, struggle, take-home pay

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