guerdon

[ gur-dn ]

/ ˈgɜr dn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR guerdon ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a reward, recompense, or requital.

verb (used with object)

to give a guerdon to; reward.

Nearby words

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

Related formsguer·don·er, nounguer·don·less, adjectiveun·guer·doned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for guerdon

These ducats look like the guerdon of weightier information than you have brought me.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 64, No.394, August, 1848|Various
Thus expeditiously could religious conversion be effected when an earthly crown was its guerdon.
History of the United Netherlands, 1590-1599, Vol. III. Complete|John Lothrop Motley
Had Faustina been the guerdon, I doubt whether my constancy could have endured!
Northern Spain|Edgar T. A. Wigram
No guerdon for past deeds of worth sought that young noble heart, She, who might all rewards have claimed, asked only to depart.
The Poetical Works of Mrs. Leprohon (Mrs. R.E. Mullins)|Rosanna Eleanor Leprohon

Clear certitude as to sovereign realities is the guerdon of the guests of God.
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 1|A. Maclaren

British Dictionary definitions for guerdon

guerdon

/ (ˈɡɜːdən) poetic /

noun

a reward or payment

verb

(tr) to give a guerdon to

Derived Formsguerdoner, noun

Word Origin for guerdon

C14: from Old French gueredon, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German widarlōn, Old English witherlēan; final element influenced by Latin dōnum gift

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for guerdon

guerdon

"reward, recompense" (now only poetic), late 14c., from Old French guerdon, guerredon "reward, recompense, payment," from Medieval Latin widerdonum, from Old High German widarlon "recompense;" cf. Old English wiðerlean "requital, compensation," from wiðer "again" (see with) + lean "payment." Form influenced in Medieval Latin by Latin donum "gift." Cf. Spanish galardon, Italian guiderone.