guerdon

/ˈɡəː.dən/

Etymology

From Middle English guerdon, guerdoun, gardone, from Old French guerdon, guerredon, guarredon, werdon, from Medieval Latin widerdōnum, alteration of widerlōnum, from West Germanic (whence Old High German widarlōn, Old English wiþerlēan), literally ‘back-payment’, with the second element assimilated to Latin dōnum (“gift”).

guerdon means A reward, prize or recompense for a service; an accolade. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 86 out of 100.

Why this word is great

GUERDON — [Noun] A reward or recompense, often of a formal or poetic nature, given for service or merit. From Middle English guerdon, from Old French guerdon, from Medieval Latin widerdōnum, an alteration of widerlōnum, from West Germanic *widarlōn (literally 'back-payment'), with the second element assimilated to Latin dōnum ('gift'). Unlike “reward”—a broad, workaday term—or “prize”—a glittering trophy for victory—a guerdon is a deliberate, often solemn bestowal for loyal toil. It is the heavy gold coin pressed into a veteran's palm by a somber king, the solitary acre of good land granted to a faithful steward, the quiet, posthumous citation for a sacrifice long forgotten—the melancholy acknowledgment that every effort seeks its proper weight in return.

noun

A reward, prize or recompense for a service; an accolade.“For would she of her gentlenesse, Withouten more, me ones kesse, It were to me a great guerdoon. Release of all my passion […]”

verb

To give such a reward to.“And when thou see'st the Admiral ride by, Discharge thy musket, and perform his death; And then I'll guerdon thee with store of crowns.”