Wagers

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. An agreement where individuals bet on the result of uncertain occurrences involves risking money
2. A financial commitment between parties that hinges on the outcome of a specific event, requiring stakes
3. Sums of money risked by individuals predicting the result of an unpredictable event

Etymology: "Wagers" is the plural of the noun "wager", and the noun itself is a surprisingly old and rather legal-sounding idea: it began as a pledge. In Middle English, "wajour" and "wageour" meant a pledge or security given to make a promise binding, and the word came into English from Old Northern French "wageure", which grew out of the verb "wagier", meaning "to pledge". That verb sits at the end of a chain stretching back to a Frankish word, "waddjōn", meaning the same thing, built on "wadi", a pledge or surety. The English verb "wager" to bet followed from this sense of staking something on a promise. The plural form is a plain inflection of the noun, so the story of "wagers" is the story of "wager" itself. The noun and verb share the same root, and the modern sense of risking money on an outcome grew naturally from the older idea of a pledge that someone would hold to.

Synonyms: bets, stakes, gamblings, pools, purchases

Antonyms: certainty, assurance, sureness, guarantee, safety