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Pay

//peɪ// adj, name, noun, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Operable or accessible on deposit of coins. not-comparable

    "pay toilet"

  2. 2
    Pertaining to or requiring payment. not-comparable

    "pay television"

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A diminutive of the unisex given name Payton. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    A surname. countable, uncountable
Noun
  1. 1
    Money given in return for work; salary or wages. countable, uncountable

    "Many employers have rules designed to keep employees from comparing their pays."

  2. 2
    something that remunerates wordnet
  3. 3
    A paying job; a paying concern. countable, rare

    ""You can if you like. I'll drop in each day to see how she gets on." "Oh, will you? That's a relief. All the same, I wouldn't say she was a very good pay, if you spend too much time on her." "Oh, bad pays make up half a doctor's job.""

Verb
  1. 1
    To give money or other compensation to in exchange for goods or services. ambitransitive

    "How much will the job pay?"

  2. 2
    To cover (the bottom of a vessel, a seam, a spar, etc.) with tar or pitch, or a waterproof composition of tallow, resin, etc.; to smear. transitive
  3. 3
    dedicate wordnet
  4. 4
    To discharge, as a debt or other obligation, by giving or doing what is due or required. ambitransitive

    "she offered to pay the bill"

  5. 5
    bear (a cost or penalty), in recompense for some action wordnet
Show 16 more definitions
  1. 6
    To be profitable for. transitive

    "It didn't pay him to keep the store open any more."

  2. 7
    convey, as of a compliment, regards, attention, etc.; bestow wordnet
  3. 8
    To yield as a benefit. transitive

    "to pay dividends or interest"

  4. 9
    give money, usually in exchange for goods or services wordnet
  5. 10
    To give (something else than money). transitive

    "to pay attention"

  6. 11
    cancel or discharge a debt wordnet
  7. 12
    To be profitable or worth the effort. intransitive

    "crime doesn’t pay"

  8. 13
    discharge or settle wordnet
  9. 14
    To discharge an obligation or debt. intransitive

    "He was allowed to go as soon as he paid."

  10. 15
    do or give something to somebody in return wordnet
  11. 16
    To suffer consequences. intransitive

    "He paid for his fun in the sun with a terrible sunburn."

  12. 17
    bring in wordnet
  13. 18
    To admit that a joke, punchline, etc., was funny. transitive

    "Sutho took a pull at his Johnny Walker and Coke and laughed that trademark laugh of his and said: `Okay. I'll pay that all right.'"

  14. 19
    make a compensation for wordnet
  15. 20
    render wordnet
  16. 21
    be worth it wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English payen, from Old French paiier (“pay”), from Medieval Latin pācāre (“to settle, satisfy”) from Latin pācāre (“to pacify”). In this sense, displaced native Old English ġield (“pay”) and ġieldan (“to pay”), whence Modern English yield.

Etymology 2

From Middle English payen, from Old French paiier (“pay”), from Medieval Latin pācāre (“to settle, satisfy”) from Latin pācāre (“to pacify”). In this sense, displaced native Old English ġield (“pay”) and ġieldan (“to pay”), whence Modern English yield.

Etymology 3

From Middle English payen, from Old French paiier (“pay”), from Medieval Latin pācāre (“to settle, satisfy”) from Latin pācāre (“to pacify”). In this sense, displaced native Old English ġield (“pay”) and ġieldan (“to pay”), whence Modern English yield.

Etymology 4

From Old French peier, from Latin picāre (“to cover with pitch”).

See also for "pay"

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