Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wage” come from?

Wage comes from Middle English wage, from Anglo-Norman wage, from Old Norse vágr, from Proto-Germanic wēgaz, from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ-.

wage (English): An amount of money paid to a worker for a...

Definitions

  1. An amount of money paid to a worker for a...

Ancestry of “wage”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwageA wage; earnings; Money reserved for the payment...
2Anglo-Normanwagewave; Alternative form of gage
3Old Norsevágrocean, sea; inlet, bay
4Proto-Germanicwēgazwave; sea
5Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵʰ-to bring; to transport

Words derived from “wage”

  • nonwage
  • Wageman
  • wageworker
  • wageless
  • wageman
  • wagelessness
  • wage-worthy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- →