Etymograph

English

remuneration

Remuneration comes from Latin remūnerātiō ‘recompense, reward’, from mūnerō ‘to present’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-1‘to attach, bind, strengthen’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*moy-nós1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moinos1‘service’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūnus2‘function, employment’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūnerō3‘to present’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEremūnerō4‘to reward, recompense, remunerate’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEremūnerātiō5‘recompense, reward’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1885remuneration5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin munus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin munero
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin remunero
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Latin remuneratio
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English remuneration
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1885, H. Rider Haggard: “Mr. Quatermain,” said the former, “I am well off,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-Wiktionary, Latin munus‘to attach, bind, strengthen’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*moy-nósWiktionary, Latin munusreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*moinosWiktionary, Latin munus‘service’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūnusWiktionary, Latin munero‘function, employment’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmūnerōWiktionary, Latin remunero‘to present’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEremūnerōWiktionary, Latin remuneratio‘to reward, recompense, remunerate’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEremūnerātiōWiktionary, English remuneration‘recompense, reward’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1885remunerationWiktionary, English remuneration. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1885, H. Rider Haggard: “Mr. Quatermain,” said the former, “I am well off,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’

mean, met, community, common, minute, minister, commission, ministry, minor, mess, meal, min, commit, menu, compromise, missile, mutual, communist, communication, minus, communicate, dismiss, mere, mole, communism, premise, ammo, noodle, communal, moor, ammunition, mayhem, intermittent, mural, communion, mite, omit, commune, monolith, minstrel, 74 more

through Latin mūnus ‘function, employment’

immune, immunity, municipality, 4 more

Today it means

noun Something given in exchange for goods or services rendered.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “remuneration”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin munus, Latin munero, Latin remunero, Latin remuneratio. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *mey- / remuneration

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