Wage: Definition, Usage, and Key Differences

Meaning 1：money paid for work (wage)

wage 🔊

/weɪdʒ/

Money you get regularly for doing a job, especially when it's paid by the hour or week.

Wage definition illustrated by a happy worker holding a pay slip in a casual workplace setting.

money paid for work 🔊

➕

/ˈmʌni peɪd fɔːr wɜːrk/

This refers to the regular compensation that employees receive for their labor, typically based on time worked, such as hourly or weekly rates, and often documented on a pay slip.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Wage comes from Old French 'gage' meaning 'pledge' or 'security,' related to Latin 'vadium' for 'pledge.' It evolved to refer to payment for work, especially in employment contexts.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'wage' as 'Work And Get Earnings.' It's the money you earn from your job, easy to recall by linking it to working age.

📖 Example

John carefully checked his wage slip to make sure the overtime hours were correctly calculated. 🔊 John carefully examined his wage slip to verify the accuracy of the overtime hours calculation.

🔗 Collocations

minimum wage – the lowest legal amount that can be paid to a worker per hour

wage earner – a person who works for wages, typically supporting a family

wage increase – a rise in the amount of money paid for work

🔄 Synonyms

salary (n.) – fixed regular payment, typically monthly, for professional or office work

pay (n.) – money received for work or services

income (n.) – money received, especially on a regular basis, from work or investments

🚫 Antonyms

expense (n.) – money spent on something, often in contrast to income

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'wage' traces back to Old French 'gage,' meaning a pledge or security. In medieval times, it was used for payments to mercenaries to ensure their service. This historical usage gradually shifted to denote regular compensation for labor, particularly in industrial and modern economies, reflecting its role in employment agreements.