Rewarders

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals or entities that provide compensation or incentives for certain actions or behaviors
2. those who bestow recognition, prizes, or benefits in appreciation of achievements
3. agents or systems dedicated to offering gratifications for specific contributions or accomplishments

Etymology: "Rewarders" is the plural of "rewarder", which is simply "reward" with the agent suffix "-er" attached, so it means one who gives a reward. The suffix is the more interesting part. The "-er" ending in English traces back a long way, through Old English "-ere" and the Latin "-arius", which denoted a person connected with a trade or function, and it has been attached to native and borrowed roots alike for over a thousand years. The base word, "reward", came into English from Anglo-Norman and Old French "reward" or "regard", meaning a looking back or a consideration, before taking on the sense of a recompense. The noun "rewarder" is built directly on that English word, so its history is the history of "reward" plus a suffix that English has used productively ever since.