Etymograph

English

reward

Reward comes from Old French reward, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to burn’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-1‘to burn’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400reward1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500reward1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 2007reward1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English reward
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, No Country for Old Men by Joel and Ethen: “Your daddy ever tell you how Uncle Mac come…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-Wiktionary, English reward‘to burn’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400rewardWiktionary, English reward
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rewardWiktionary, English reward
  4. Englishearliest quotation 2007rewardWiktionary, English reward. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, No Country for Old Men by Joel and Ethen: “Your daddy ever tell you how Uncle Mac come…”

The story

Mostly displaced Old English mēd, whence Modern English meed.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to burn’

wear, con, guard, garage, worm, verge, optic, regard, weir, garrison, warn, panorama, reverence, vermin, warden, wry, malware, revere, vermilion, beware, ware, prosaic, diorama, guaranty, milliner, vermicelli, vermeil, vermiculite, varmint, 66 more

Another origin of reward

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-‘to cover, shelter, defend, guard, shut’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wardōną‘to guard, defend’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*wardōn‘to guard, keep’reconstructed
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400rewarder‘to reward’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rewarden
  6. Englishtodayreward

In this sense, displaced Old English ġieldan, whence Modern English yield.

Today it means

noun Something of value given in return for an act.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “reward”. 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 *wer- / reward

Shirt and support for this word