guerdon
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of guerdon
1325–75; Middle English < Old French, variant of werdoun < Medieval Latin widerdonum, alteration (probably by association with Latin dōnum gift) of Old High German widarlōn, equivalent to widar again, back + lōn reward; cognate with Old English witherlēan
Explanation
A guerdon is a reward. The disappointing guerdon for your day spent shoveling your elderly neighbor's driveway might be a little tin of very old licorice candy. The word guerdon, pronounced "GER-dun," is an Old French word that literally means "reward or payment." Though it is rarely used today, there's no reason you can't use it to describe the compensation you get for some achievement, like the guerdon you received when your essay won the writing contest — guerdon is another term for "prize money" in this case.
Vocabulary lists containing guerdon
Beowulf vocabulary
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Much Ado About Nothing
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 11
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I don’t think the risk of factory-built housing is whether Guerdon is going to go out of business.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
Mutual Housing contracted with Guerdon Modular Buildings, another Idaho-based manufacturer with among the longest track records in the industry.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
The instant homes were the first of 200 being built in Chicago ghetto neighborhoods by National Homes and by Guerdon Industries.
From Time Magazine Archive
On the outskirts of the circle he saw Rochester, smiling faintly, half amused, half contemptuous, and by his side the parchment-like face of Lord Guerdon, whose eyes seemed riveted upon his.
From The Moving Finger by Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)
The composer adds these lines: "Peter preach downe vaine rites with flagrant harte; Thy Guerdon shall be greate, though heare thou Smart."
From Caricature and Other Comic Art in all Times and many Lands. by Parton, James
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
