Rewards

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Gains received as a result of efforts or actions
2. Incentives or compensations earned through specific behaviors or accomplishments
3. Advantages or profits gained as a result of performing tasks or reaching goals

Etymology: The plural "rewards" simply takes the regular ending of the noun "reward," so the history belongs to the singular. The most striking fact is that English once had a different, older word for this idea: Old English "mēd" (the source of modern "meed") and "lēan" were the ordinary words for payment or recompense before "reward" displaced them. "Reward" itself entered English from Old French "reward," a noun formed from the verb "rewarder," meaning "to reward." That verb combines "re-" with "warder," meaning "to guard, keep." The sense of the original idea is therefore one of watching over or looking after something, which is a surprising starting point for a word now meaning gain or profit. The Old French forms came from a Frankish verb "*wardōn," tracing back to a Germanic root for guarding and protecting, the same root behind English "guard" and "warden." Old French also gave English "regard," and the two words are doublets, both descended from the same Germanic stem and sharing a root with "guard" and "warden" through different routes.

Synonyms: benefits, gains, prizes, incentives, returns

Antonyms: punishments, penalties, retributions, consequences, losses