See Also:

pay(2) (iou)



pay verb1. . ME.
[Old & mod. French payer from Latin pacare appease, pacify, (in medieval Latin) pay, from pac-, pax PEACE noun; the sense 'give money for' was developed through that of pacifying a creditor.]
verb trans. Appease, pacify; satisfy; please, gratify; be acceptable to, meet with the approval of. Usu. in pass. ME-E16.
verb trans.
a. Give (a person) money etc. that is due for goods received, a service done, or a debt incurred; remunerate. Also, hand over or transfer (money etc.) in return for something (foll. by to the recipient). Also with double obj. (pay a person money etc.). ME.
G. Greene She must have been receiving wages from some source for he paid her none. B. Trapido 'Have them on me,' she said, when we tried to pay her. Sporting News A three-year contract that will pay him $16.25 million.
b. Hand over or transfer money in discharge of (a debt, fee, wage, etc.); hand over or transfer the amount of (a price). LME.
W. Raeper Mr Powell had paid the last quarter's rent.
verb trans. fig. Give (a thing owed, due, or deserved); discharge (an obligation, promise, etc.); give in retribution or retaliation (arch.); experience (pain or trouble) as punishment or in exchange for some advantage. Also with double obj., as in sense 2a. ME.
I. Watts Praise, everlasting praise, be paid To him that earth's foundation laid. R. South Inflaming themselves with Wine, till they come to pay the Reckoning with their Blood. J. Wain Society agreed that I should pay the price, and I've paid it.
verb trans. Give what is due for (a deed) or to (a person); reward, recompense; punish. ME.
G. Macdonald Enough he labours for his hire;..nought can pay his pain.
b. spec. Beat, flog. Now dial. L16.
verb intrans. Give money in return for something; esp. discharge a debt; fig. make amends, give restitution. ME.
Omni It's the person who cheated..who should pay. Economist Contracts normally give customers 30 days to pay.
verb trans. Give or bestow (attention, respect, a compliment, a visit, etc.). Usu. with to or indirect obj. LME.
E. Waugh He decided to pay one of his rare..visits to his mother. G. Greene She was..paying him the half-attention a parent pays a child.
verb trans. = pay for (a) below; fig. compensate, make up for. Now rare or obsolete. L16.
verb trans. Chiefly Nautical. Let out (a rope, chain, anchor, etc.) gradually. Now only foll. by out. E17.
Nautical verb trans. & intrans. (Cause to) turn to leeward. Now only foll. by off. E17.
a. verb trans. Of a thing: yield money sufficient for (= pay for (b) below); yield (an amount, return, etc.). M17.
A. Carnegie This was my first investment..and Adams Express paid a monthly dividend.
b. verb intrans. & trans. Yield an adequate return (to); be profitable or advantageous (to). L18.
Dress It will pay you to consult me as to your plans. J. Conrad Answering back, as a general rule, does not pay. R. Harling It pays to advertise.
Phrases, & with prepositions in specialized senses: hell to pay: see HELL noun. not if you paid me, not if you paid him, etc., under no circumstances; not at all. paid holidays an agreed holiday period for which wages are paid as normal. pay a call: see CALL noun. pay a person in his or her own coin: see COIN noun. pay dearly pay a lot (for); suffer greatly (for). pay for (a) give money etc. for (goods, a service, etc.); (pay for one's whistle, pay too dear for one's whistle: see WHISTLE noun); (b) be sufficient to buy or to cover the cost of; (c) fig. make amends for, atone for; suffer or be punished for; (pay for one's scot: see SCOT noun2). paying guest: see GUEST noun 1. pay its way, pay one's way cover its or one's cost or expenses. pay one's attentions to: see ATTENTION noun 3. pay one's last respects, pay one's respects: see RESPECT noun. pay one's scot: see SCOT noun2. pay on the line: see LINE noun2. pay reverence to: see REVERENCE noun. pay sauce: see SAUCE noun. pay the piper (and call the tune) pay the cost of (and so have the right to control) an activity or undertaking. pay through the nose: see NOSE noun. pay with the fore-topsail Nautical slang leave port without paying debts or creditors. pitch and pay: see PITCH verb2 7a. put paid to colloq. (a) deal effectively with (a person); (b) put an end to (a hope etc.). rob Peter to pay Paul: see PETER noun1. the devil to pay: see DEVIL noun.
With adverbs in specialized senses: pay back (a) repay (a loan etc.); (b) punish, be revenged on. pay down (a) lay (money) down in payment, pay immediately; (b) reduce (debt) by repayment. pay in pay (money) into a bank account or a fund. pay off (a) pay (a debt) in full (pay off old scores: see SCORE noun); (b) settle accounts (with); (c) dismiss (a worker) with a final payment; (d) (of a ship) have its crew discharged at the end of a voyage; (e) colloq. be profitable or advantageous; succeed, show results; (see also sense 9 above). pay out (a) pay (money) from funds under one's control or in one's possession; disburse, spend; (b) = pay back above; (c) get rid of by paying; (see also sense 8 above). pay over hand over or transfer in payment; pay (to). pay up pay (a debt) in full; paid-up member, a member of an organization who is up to date with his or her subscriptions.
pay'ee noun a person to whom a sum of money is (to be) paid; esp. the person to whom a cheque is made payable: M18.
payer noun a person who pays (esp. a sum of money) ME.
payor noun = payer L19.