earn (ɜːn)
vb
1. to gain or be paid (money or other payment) in return for work or service
2. (tr) to acquire, merit, or deserve through behaviour or action: he has earned a name for duplicity.
3. (Banking & Finance) (tr) (of securities, investments, etc) to gain (interest, return, profit, etc)
[Old English earnian; related to Old High German arnēn to reap, Old Saxon asna salary, tithe]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003
