I. ˈwāj noun
Etymology: Middle English, pledge, recompense, from Anglo-French wage, gage, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wetti pledge — more at wed
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : a payment usually of money for labor or services usually according to contract and on an hourly, daily, or piecework basis — often used in plural
b. plural : the share of the national product attributable to labor as a factor in production
2. : recompense , reward — usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction
the wage s of sin is death — Romans 6:23 (Revised Standard Version)
• wage·less ˈwāj-ləs adjective
II. verb
( waged ; wag·ing )
Etymology: Middle English, to offer surety, put up as a stake, hire, from Anglo-French * wager, gager, from wage
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
: to engage in or carry on
wage war
wage a campaign
intransitive verb
: to be in process of occurring
the riot waged for several hours — American Guide Series: Maryland