Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To grant as merited or due.
  • transitive verb To grant an amount or other benefit legally due.
  • noun Something awarded or granted, as for merit.
  • noun An amount or other benefit granted as legally due.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To adjudge to be due; assign or bestow as of right; give by judicial determination or deliberate judgment, especially upon arbitration or umpirage: as, to award the prizes at a school examination; the arbitrators awarded him heavy damages.
  • To sentence; adjudge or determine the doom of.
  • In a general sense, to permit the possession of; allow; allot; yield.
  • To guard.
  • To ward off.
  • noun A decision after examination and deliberation; a judicial sentence; especially, the decision of arbitrators on points submitted to them, or the document containing such a decision.
  • noun That which is awarded or assigned by such a decision, as a medal for merit, or a sum of money as damages, etc.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To give by sentence or judicial determination; to assign or apportion, after careful regard to the nature of the case; to adjudge.
  • intransitive verb To determine; to make an award.
  • noun A judgment, sentence, or final decision. Specifically: The decision of arbitrators in a case submitted.
  • noun The paper containing the decision of arbitrators; that which is warded.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun law A judgment, sentence, or final decision. Specifically: The decision of arbitrators in a case submitted.
  • noun law The paper containing the decision of arbitrators; that which is warded.
  • noun A trophy or medal; something that denotes an accomplishment, especially in a competition. A prize or honor based on merit.
  • noun obsolete Care, keeping.
  • noun Australia A negotiated minimum wage that is set for a particular trade or industry; an industrial award.
  • verb transitive, law To give by sentence or judicial determination; to assign or apportion, after careful regard to the nature of the case; to adjudge; as, the arbitrators awarded damages to the complainant.
  • verb intransitive To determine; to make or grant an award.
  • verb transitive to give an award (prize) for merit

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun something given for victory or superiority in a contest or competition or for winning a lottery
  • verb give as judged due or on the basis of merit
  • noun a grant made by a law court
  • verb give, especially as an honor or reward
  • noun a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English awarden, from Anglo-Norman awarder, to decide (a legal case), variant of Old North French eswarder : es-, out (from Latin ex; see ex–) + warder, to judge, guard; see wer- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English awarden, from Anglo-Norman awarder, from Medieval Latin *exwardare, from Latin ex ("out") + Medieval Latin wardare, guardare ("to observe, regard, guard"); see ward, guard, regard.

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