The Collaborative International Dictionary
Wage \Wage\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Waged; p. pr. & vb. n. Waging.] [OE. wagen, OF. wagier, gagier, to pledge, promise, F. gager to wager, lay, bet, fr. LL. wadium a pledge; of Teutonic origin; cf. Goth. wadi a pledge, gawadj[=o]n to pledge, akin to E. wed, G. wette a wager. See Wed, and cf. Gage.]
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To pledge; to hazard on the event of a contest; to stake; to bet, to lay; to wager; as, to wage a dollar.
--Hakluyt.My life I never but as a pawn To wage against thy enemies.
--Shak. -
To expose one's self to, as a risk; to incur, as a danger; to venture; to hazard. ``Too weak to wage an instant trial with the king.''
--Shak.To wake and wage a danger profitless.
--Shak. -
To engage in, as a contest, as if by previous gage or pledge; to carry on, as a war.
[He pondered] which of all his sons was fit To reign and wage immortal war with wit.
--Dryden.The two are waging war, and the one triumphs by the destruction of the other.
--I. Taylor. To adventure, or lay out, for hire or reward; to hire out. [Obs.] ``Thou . . . must wage thy works for wealth.''
--Spenser.-
To put upon wages; to hire; to employ; to pay wages to.
Abundance of treasure which he had in store, wherewith he might wage soldiers.
--Holinshed.I would have them waged for their labor.
--Latimer. -
(O. Eng. Law) To give security for the performance of.
--Burrill.To wage battle (O. Eng. Law), to give gage, or security, for joining in the duellum, or combat. See Wager of battel, under Wager, n.
--Burrill.To wage one's law (Law), to give security to make one's law. See Wager of law, under Wager, n.