remuneration
/rɪˌmjuːnəˈreɪʃən/noun
payment or reward for work or services
From Latin, through Old French re- (back) + Latin munerari (to give).
Lineage
re-
munerari
The story
Imagine a Roman clerk settling an account: he is not merely handing over money, but giving something back. That idea is packed into Latin re-, “back” or “in return,” joined to munerārī, “to give or reward,” a verb connected with munus, meaning a gift, duty, or public office. Latin remunerationem meant a repayment or recompense, and the word traveled through Old French remuneracion before appearing in English around 1400 as remuneracioun. The older sense makes remuneration feel less like a mysterious payroll term and more like a return gift for work done. It is compensation with an echo of reciprocity built right into its name.
Words from the same roots
re- · Latin, through Old French, ‘back; in return; again’
munerari · Latin, ‘to give, reward, or pay; related to munus, “gift, duty, office”’
Derivedremunerate, remunerative, remuneration
Sources
- Etymonlineremuneration, re-, sabbath, wage, pay, salary
- Urban Dictionaryremuneration
- Wikipediaremuneration
- Wiktionaryremuneration, re-