To Wage War Is to Pledge It
A wage is payment for work. The verb to wage comes from pledging, not from paying.
A wage is payment for work, usually calculated by time. The verb *to wage*, as in waging war, comes from the same word in its older sense of pledging: to wage was to give a pledge or guarantee, so waging war meant committing yourself to it. The connection is a deposit, not a salary. The root is Old North French *wagier*, to pledge, which also gives *wager*, a bet, and *gage*, a pledge, as in *engage* and *mortgage*, a death pledge.
- Payment for work. *A weekly wage.*
- To carry on. *Waging war.*
- Wager — a bet. *A wager.*
- Gage — a pledge. *A gage.*
- Old North French — *wagier*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | wage | A wage. |
| Plural | wages | Wages. |
| Verb | wage | Waging. |
| Related | wager | A wager. |
| Related | mortgage | A mortgage. |
- A decent weekly wage.Pay.
- They waged war for years.Verb.
- Mortgage means death pledge.Related.
The pledge family
- Wage — a pledge, then payment pledged for work
- Wager — a stake pledged on an outcome
- Engage — to bind by pledge
- Mortgage — a dead pledge, ended by payment or default
- Gauge is unrelated despite the spelling
Old North French *wage*, a pledge, from *wagier*, to pledge, of Germanic origin.
Why do we wage war?
From the older sense of pledging. To wage was to commit or guarantee, so waging war meant committing to it.
Why is it called a mortgage?
From French for a dead pledge, because the pledge dies when the debt is paid or the property forfeited.