Reward

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈwɔːd/

Definitions

1. Something given in recognition of effort, achievement, or good behavior
2. A form of acknowledgment offered for accomplishments, good conduct, or efforts in order to promote further positive actions and behaviors
3. An item or benefit provided to acknowledge effort, merit, or good behavior

Etymology: The English word "reward" is a close cousin of "regard," and the two split apart in an unusual way. Both come from the Old French verb "rewarder," meaning "to reward," built from "re-" and "warder," "to guard, keep." The idea underneath is watchfulness: to reward someone was, in effect, to keep watch over what was owed them. That same Germanic root gave English "guard" and "warden," which entered English by different routes, so "reward" sits alongside them as a relative rather than a descendant of any one. The noun and verb arrived in Middle English from Anglo-Norman and Old French forms, and they pushed aside older English words for the same idea. Old English "mēd," which survives today only as "meed," and "lēan" were largely displaced, along with "lēanian," the verb for rewarding. Old English "ġieldan," which later became "yield," also lost its sense of recompense to "reward."

Synonyms: prize, award, benefit, compensation, recompense

Antonyms: punishment, penalty, forfeit, loss, sacrifice