wager
Meaning
A sum of money risked on the outcome of an uncertain event; a bet.
To risk a sum of money on the outcome of an uncertain event.
Structure
Usage
He placed a substantial wager on the horse race.
I wouldn't wager a week's salary on the outcome of that negotiation.
The challenge was accepted as a friendly wager between colleagues.
Etymology
The word 'wager' entered English in the 14th century from the Anglo-Norman wagier, meaning 'to pledge'. This Norman term itself has a Germanic pedigree, likely related to Old Norse veðja and Gothic wadi, both meaning 'a pledge or gage'. The underlying Proto-Germanic root wadją conveys the concept of a security or something staked in a promise. The '-er' suffix, a productive agent-noun ending in English, transforms the verbal action into a noun denoting the thing pledged or the act of pledging itself. Thus, the modern sense of a monetary bet retains the original logic of a formal pledge placed on an uncertain outcome.
Analysis
- wag: From Middle English wagen, from Anglo-Norman wagier, of Germanic origin. The core sense is 'to pledge, to risk'. - er: A common English suffix forming agent nouns (e.g., 'baker') or instrumental nouns (e.g., 'computer').