Dayworks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The activities conducted during the daytime as part of labor or business goals
2. Tasks or operations performed during daylight hours in a work setting
3. Work-related endeavors or projects that take place within the range of day hours

Etymology: "Dayworks" is the plural of "daywork", a noun for labour paid by the day rather than by the job. The base word is straightforward: "day" joined to "work", and the compound has been in English since Middle English, descending from the Old English "dæġweorc" (literally "day-work"), a formation built on the same Germanic roots that gave modern English both its words. The surprise lies in the older sense of "work" itself. Old English "weorc" meant an act of labour, a deed or a building, and the compound simply named work done within the daylight hours, when labourers were set to their tasks at dawn and released at dusk. The plural "dayworks" follows naturally, referring to separate portions of such labour, often itemised for payment or accounting.