![]() “However, it is not the peace of the one who pays that is involved in this development of meaning,” AH adds. In a note on the history of the word, American Heritage says: “Given the unpeaceful feelings one often has in paying bills or income taxes, it is difficult to believe that the word pay ultimately derives from the Latin word pax, ‘peace.’ ” The word ultimately comes from the classical Latin pacare, meaning to appease, pacify, reduce to peace. Example: “He payed out the rope to give it some slack.”Įnglish borrowed the verb “pay” in the 13th century from an Anglo-Norman word spelled various ways, including paier, paer, and paaer, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. ![]() ![]() This is when the verb “pay” means to slacken something like a line or rope, allowing it to run out a little at a time. There’s only one common sense in which either “payed” or “paid” can be used, according to the lexicographers at American Heritage and Merriam-Webster’s. The two standard dictionaries we use the most- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.) and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.)-agree on this. Q: Can the word “payed” be used as a legitimate alternative to “paid”-that is, as the past tense of “pay”?Ī: In most cases, the past tense and past participle of “pay” is “paid.” (The past participle is the form used with “have” or “had.”)įor example: “I pay every month” (present) … “I paid last month” (past) … “For years, I have paid regularly” (present perfect).
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