Where does “minimum wage” come from?
minimum wage (English) comes from English wage, from Middle English wage, from Anglo-Norman wage, from Old Norse vágr, from Proto-Germanic wēgaz, from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- — to bring; to transport.
minimum wage (English): The lowest rate at which an employer must legally pay an employee, usually expressed as pay per hour
Definitions
- The lowest rate at which an employer must legally pay an employee, usually expressed as pay per hour
Ancestry of “minimum wage”, step by step
minimum wage traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wage
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wage | An amount of money paid to a worker for a... |
| 2 | Middle English | wage | A wage; earnings; Money reserved for the payment... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | wage | wave; Alternative form of gage |
| 4 | Old Norse | vágr | ocean, sea; inlet, bay |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wēgaz | wave; sea |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵʰ- | to bring; to transport |
via English minimum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | minimum | The lowest limit; The smallest amount; A period... |
| 2 | Latin | minimum | accusative masculine singular of minimus;... |
| 3 | Latin | minimus | least, smallest |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | *(s)mey(h₁)- | — |