pay1
v.
(past and past part. paid)
- give (someone) money due for work, goods, or a debt incurred.
▸give (a sum of money) thus owed.
▸
(pay someone off)
dismiss someone with a final payment.
- be profitable or advantageous.
▸
(pay off)
informal yield good results.
- suffer a loss or misfortune as a consequence of an action.
▸give what is due or deserved to.
▸
(pay someone back)
take revenge on someone.
- give (attention, respect, or a compliment) to.
▸make (a visit or call) to.
-
(pay something out)
let out a rope by slackening it.
n.
money paid to someone for work.
Phrase
- in the pay of
employed by. - pay dearly
suffer for a misdemeanour or failure. - pay its
(or one's)
way
earn enough to cover its or one's costs. - pay one's last respects
show respect towards a dead person by attending their funeral. - pay one's respects
make a polite visit to someone. - pay through the nose
informal pay much more than a fair price.
Derivative
Etymology
ME (in the sense ‘pacify’): from OFr. paie (n.), payer (v.), from L. pacare ‘appease’, from pax, pac- ‘peace’.
pay2
v.
(past and past part. payed)
Nautical seal (the deck or seams of a wooden ship) with pitch or tar to prevent leakage.
Etymology
C17: from Old North. Fr. peier, from L. picare, from pix, pic- ‘pitch’.
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