piecework

[pees-wurk]

noun

work done and paid for by the piece.

Compare timework.

Origin of piecework

First recorded in 1540–50; piece + work

Related formspiece·work·er, noun

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

Examples from the Web for piecework

Historical Examples of piecework

We were all, even I after the third day, on piecework at our table, except Nancy.
Working With the Working Woman
Cornelia Stratton Parker
It was piecework, and the more skilful he was, the bigger wages he earned.
When God Laughs and Other Stories
Jack London
This job was piecework, so it didn't matter whether they talked or not.
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
Robert Tressell
The growth of piecework and of sliding scales has effected something.
Problems of Poverty
John A. Hobson
In the shell-loading plants and piecework occupations, however, their wages were much higher.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 6, 1921
Various

British Dictionary definitions for piecework

piecework

noun

work paid for according to the quantity producedCompare timework

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 piecework

also piece-work, 1540s, from piece (n.) + work (n.).