wage

wage   (wāj)    n.   Payment for labor or services to a worker, especially remuneration on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis or by the piece. wages Economics The portion of the national product that represents the aggregate paid for all contributing labor and services as distinguished from the portion retained by management or reinvested in capital goods. A fitting return; a recompense. Often used in the plural with a singular or plural verb: the wages of sin. tr.v.   waged, wag·ing, wag·es To engage in (a war or campaign, for example). [Middle English, from Old North French, of Germanic origin.]

Main Entry: wage
Function: noun
1 : a payment usually of money for labor or services usually according to a contract and on an hourly, daily, or piecework basis —often used in pl.
2 plural : the share of the national product attributable to labor as a factor in production

wage

income derived from human labour. Technically, wages and salaries cover all compensation made to employees for either physical or mental work, but they do not represent the income of the self-employed. Labour costs are not identical to wage and salary costs, because total labour costs may include such items as cafeterias or meeting rooms maintained for the convenience of employees. Wages and salaries usually include remuneration such as paid vacations, holidays, and sick leave, as well as fringe benefits and supplements in the form of pensions or health insurance sponsored by the employer. Additional compensation can be paid in the form of bonuses or stock options, many of which are linked to individual or group performance

Learn more about wage with a free trial on Britannica.com.