Etymology Map
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Pay

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means to give money for goods, services or debts

Where does the word "pay" come from? It comes from Latin pacare, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
pacare
Latin · classical
"to pacify"
'to pacify', from pax 'peace'; Augustus's Res Gestae boasts 'mare pacavi a praedonibus', I pacified the sea from pirates
2
Stage 2 of 3
paier
Old French · 1100s
"to satisfy, pay"
'to appease', then to satisfy a creditor by handing over money
3
Stage 3 of 3
pay
English · 1200s
"to give money owed"
Britain introduced 'Pay As You Earn' income tax deduction in 1944
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Read the full story

Pay’s story begins in Latin: pacare meant “to pacify.” 'to pacify', from pax 'peace'; Augustus's Res Gestae boasts 'mare pacavi a praedonibus', I pacified the sea from pirates. By 1100s, the word had taken hold in Old French as paier. 'to appease', then to satisfy a creditor by handing over money. It reached English by 1200s as pay. Britain introduced 'Pay As You Earn' income tax deduction in 1944. Today, pay means to give money for goods, services or debts.