Unpaying

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not providing any money, profit or wages in return for the effort or time put into it
2. Describing work, a role or a visitor that brings in no income or does not require payment
3. Failing to generate earnings or to be compensated financially for the labour or service involved

Etymology: "Unpaying" is built from "un-" and "pay", with the "un-" prefix attached to the verb "unpay" and the "-ing" ending giving it the sense of something that does not bring in payment. The verb "unpay" comes from Middle English "unpayen" and "unpaien", formed in the same way: "un-" added to "pay", which descends from Old French "payer" and ultimately Latin "pacare", meaning to pacify or settle. The adjective's sense is literal and straightforward: a venture, job, or investment that brings in no income. The prefix does the work of negating "pay" without creating an unrelated word, so the meaning follows directly from the parts.

Synonyms: non-paying, free, gratis

Antonyms: paying