Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “reward” come from?

Reward comes from Middle English, from Anglo-Norman rewarder, from Old French re- combined with a root from Latin re- and Proto-Indo-European wer-, meaning to turn or regard.

reward (English): Something of value given in return for an act; A...

Definitions

  1. Something of value given in return for an act; A...

Ancestry of “reward”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishreward—
2Old Frenchrewardreward
3Old Frenchrewarderto reward
4Old FrenchwarderAlternative form of guarder
5Old Frenchguarderto protect; to guard; to look at
6Frankishwardēnto protect; to guard, protect, watch over; to...
7Proto-Germanicwardānąto guard, protect, watch over
8Proto-Germanic*warduz—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanwēr-true
10Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “reward”

  • rewarding
  • unrewarding
  • rewarder
  • rewardeth
  • rewardable
  • rewardingly
  • rewardest
  • rewardless
  • rewardingness
  • rewardful
  • nonrewarding
  • unrewardable
  • rewardability
  • rewardableness
  • unrewardingly
  • rewardably
  • antireward
  • unrewardingness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →