Make Your Point > Archived Issues > REMUNERATE
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connect today's word to others:
The word remunerate has Latin roots meaning "to give back." It's based on the Latin munus, which means "a gift, a duty, or an office," which is why it looks like the words "municipal" (meaning "related to city offices") and "munificent" (meaning "very generous"). No, the mune inside this word doesn't mean "money," although that's what I would have guessed. :) Because remunerate simply means "to pay money."
Simple idea. Long, fancy word. So why do I want everyone to know it?
It's not because I think we should swap in long, fancy words for simple ideas. It's because I want to protect us from being manipulated by people who do.
Say you're watching a TV commercial for a weight loss product. Some lovely girl is talking about how much weight she lost. Across the bottom of your screen, in tiny letters, appear the words "Individual has been remunerated." In simpler terms: "We paid her to say this."
Well, if you know what "remunerated" means, you aren't falling for it, and you aren't parting with your money. Hooray!
Speaking of money, other money-related terms we've checked out include largesse, openhanded, pecuniary, and venal. Can you define each? Which one has a negative tone, which one has a neutral tone, and which two have a very positive tone?
make your point with...
"REMUNERATE"
To remunerate other people is to pay them money for the work they did.
To remunerate yourself is to get money for yourself in some sneaky way, as if you're trying to pay yourself what you think you should have gotten honestly.
And to remunerate something--like to remunerate someone's kindness, or to remunerate a service you received, or to remunerate an injury--is to repay it or to give a reward for it.
Pronunciation:
ruh MYOO nuh rate
(or "ree MYOO nuh rate")
Part of speech:
Transitive verb.
(Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object.
You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone.
Likewise, you remunerate something or someone.)
Other common forms:
remunerated, remunerating; remuneration; remunerative
How to use it:
When you need a formal, serious, businesslike tone, instead of "pay" or "compensate," pick the word "remunerate". (We use this word to talk about paying for work and for services, not for products.)
To use the first meaning--the most common one--talk about people or companies remunerating other people, often for the service they provided: "They remunerated the shareholders fairly." "Her skills are exceptionally valuable, and she must be remunerated accordingly." "He's remunerated purely on the basis of performance." "We've already remunerated them for those services." "For your success in reviving this program, you'll be well remunerated."
Notice how you can say that people are well remunerated, properly remunerated, highly remunerated, generously remunerated, poorly remunerated and so on, often for their work.
If you're talking about paying or rewarding people with something other than money, say that you're remunerating people with something: "We remunerated the volunteers with t-shirts and a spaghetti dinner." "Her position is unpaid, but she's remunerated regularly with tickets to the ballet."
To use the second meaning, talk about people remunerating themselves, often for the trouble they think they had to endure or by some particular action. Remember, this is a sneaky, underhanded kind of behavior, so the tone here is negative. "The store clerks remunerated themselves for their low pay by swiping snacks off the shelves and fudging their time sheets."
And for the third meaning, talk about remunerating someone's helpful or harmful action, often with something: "How can we remunerate our parents' kindness and self-sacrifice?" "I remunerate his endless patience with a warm smile."
examples:
Strict rules are in place to prevent the athletes from remunerating their peer tutors with anything--even a donut or a stick of gum--that could potentially sway them into academic dishonesty.
Sometimes I refer to my less remunerative projects as "heartwork."
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "remunerate" means when you can explain it without saying "settle up" or "compensate."
try it out:
Fill in the blank: "The first time I was generously remunerated for my work was when _____."
Example: "The first time I was generously remunerated for my work was when I created a web site for my mom's boss."
before you review:
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
This month, we're playing with The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce. It's a collection of silly, sarcastic, satirical definitions of everyday words, and--lucky us!--it's in the public domain. In each issue this month, I'll give you one of Bierce's definitions and, if it's a tough one, I'll give you the word's first letter. And you try to come up with the word.
From our previous issue: Bierce defines it as "a woman with a fine prospect of happiness behind her." It's a noun. It starts with B. What is it?
Answer: Bride.
Try this today: Bierce defines it as "an account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools." It's a noun. It starts with H. What is it?
review today's word:
1. The opposite of REMUNERATE could be
A. FORGET
B. WARN
C. FINE
2. I hesitate to accept my neighbors' offer of remuneration, knowing that _____.
A. I would feel terrible if I accidentally broke any of their equipment
B. they would then become my clients instead of my friends
C. good fences make good neighbors
Answers are below.
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Answers to review questions:
1. C
2. B
The word remunerate has Latin roots meaning "to give back." It's based on the Latin munus, which means "a gift, a duty, or an office," which is why it looks like the words "municipal" (meaning "related to city offices") and "munificent" (meaning "very generous"). No, the mune inside this word doesn't mean "money," although that's what I would have guessed. :) Because remunerate simply means "to pay money."
"REMUNERATE" To remunerate other people is to pay them money for the work they did. Part of speech: Other common forms:
Strict rules are in place to prevent the athletes from remunerating their peer tutors with anything--even a donut or a stick of gum--that could potentially sway them into academic dishonesty.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "remunerate" means when you can explain it without saying "settle up" or "compensate."
Fill in the blank: "The first time I was generously remunerated for my work was when _____."
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
1. The opposite of REMUNERATE could be
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |