Waged

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /weɪd͡ʒd/

Definitions

1. Engaged in or conducted, especially referring to fighting or campaigns ; received or given as payment for work or services
2. To have actively participated in an ongoing effort or conflict ; compensated by receiving wages or salary
3. Having undertaken an effort or battle ; earned a reward or salary in return for labor

Etymology: "Waged" is the past tense and past participle of "wage," so its history is really the history of that verb. "Wage" came into English in the 13th century from Anglo-Norman and Old French "wage," meaning a pledge or security, which itself traces to a Germanic source related to the Old High German "wetti," a pledge or bet. The sense of a pledge is the key: in early use, to "wage" something was to stake it or bind yourself to it, as in "to wage battle" or "to wage war," which meant to undertake a conflict, a commitment rather than a fight in progress. The payment sense developed from the same root. A "wage" was originally a pledge or security given to a person in return for a promise of service, and over time it narrowed to the regular payment itself. The two meanings still sit side by side: a person who wages a campaign has made a binding undertaking, and a person who is paid wages has been given a pledge of reward for work.

Synonyms: conducted, carried