residuals
UK[rɪˈzɪdʒuəlz]US[rɪˈzɪdʒuəlz]
n
Money that is paid to a performer, writer, etc. each time their work is sold or broadcast
n
The amounts of something that remain after the main part has gone or been taken or used
Morpheme Breakdown
re
sid
uals
re
again/back
sid
sit
uals
noun/adjective suffix
Etymology
The word 'residuals' originates from the Latin 'residuus', meaning "remaining" or "left over," which itself is built from the verb 'residere'—'re-' (back) + 'sedere' (to sit). The core image is of something "sitting back" or "settling back" after the main action or body has departed. This literal sense of a physical remainder evolved into financial and mathematical abstractions. In modern entertainment, 'residuals' are payments that "sit back" and continue to be owed to creators after the initial sale or broadcast of their work, perfectly capturing the etymological logic of a recurring remainder.
Analysis
Structure: re (again/back) + sid (sit) + uals (noun/adjective suffix)
're-' is a Latin prefix meaning "again" or "back". 'sid' is from the Latin root 'sidere', a variant of 'sedere', meaning "to sit". '-uals' is a suffix derived from Latin '-ualis', forming adjectives meaning "pertaining to," which here combines with the plural '-s' to form a noun.
Examples
The actor still receives residuals every time the classic sitcom is aired in syndication.
After the flood, the team tested the soil for toxic chemical residuals.
The residuals from the distillation process are collected for further analysis.