PAY


Meaning of PAY in English

~ 1

■ verb ( past and past participle paid )

1》 give (someone) money due for work, goods, or a debt incurred.

↘give (a sum of money) thus owed.

↘( ~ someone off ) dismiss someone with a final ~ment.

2》 be profitable or advantageous.

↘( ~ off ) informal yield good results.

3》 suffer a loss or misfortune as a consequence of an action.

↘give what is due or deserved to.

↘( ~ someone back ) take revenge on someone.

4》 give (attention, respect, or a compliment) to.

↘make (a visit or call) to.

5》 ( ~ something out ) let out a rope by slackening it.

■ noun money paid to someone for work.

Phrases

in the ~ of employed by.

~ dearly suffer for a misdemeanour or failure.

~ its (or one's ) way earn enough to cover its or one's costs.

~ one's last respects show respect towards a dead person by attending their funeral.

~ one's respects make a polite visit to someone.

~ through the nose informal ~ much more than a fair price.

Derivatives

~ee noun

~er noun

Origin

ME (in the sense 'pacify'): from OFr. paie (n.), ~er (v.), from L. pacare 'appease', from pax , pac- 'peace'.

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~ 2

■ verb ( past and past participle ~ed ) Nautical seal (the deck or seams of a wooden ship) with pitch or tar to prevent leakage.

Origin

C17: from Old North. Fr. peier , from L. picare , from pix , pic- 'pitch'.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.