Etymologically
Log in

payment

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 21:12. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈpeɪ.mənt/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English paiement, payement,[2][3] borrowed from Old French paiement,[2][4][3] 13th century, from paiier (“to pay”),[2][3] the source of pay, with the suffix -ment.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The action of paying, the remuneration of someone with money: the 14th century in the OED and Merriam-Webster,[6][7] the late 14th century in Etymonline, including the repayment of a debt and the amount due.[2]

Semantic evolution

From the 14th century it was also used figuratively, of giving someone what they deserve, a requital, punishment or reward.[6] A sum of money paid, pay, wages, price, is from about 1449,[6] or the mid-15th century in Etymonline's account.[2] In the 16th century, to run for good payment meant to be accepted as true, like good coin.[6] In Lincolnshire dialect, payment meant damage or harm: “It will take no payment”.[8]

Timeline

  • 14th century – the act of paying.[6][7]
  • 14th century – figuratively, a requital.[6]
  • c. 1449 – a sum paid.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of paying, or the state of being paid.
  2. An amount of money paid: monthly payments.
  3. Something deserved; a reward or punishment, a requital.

Word family

  • copayment
  • down payment
  • transfer payment
  • stop payment

Usage notes

A separate payment, from 1778, is the coating of a ship's bottom with pitch or tar, from the verb pay “to smear with pitch”.[6]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)