money paid to somebody for work they have done, especially to somebody who earns a lot of money (尤指付给高收入者的)酬金,薪水,工资 Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin emolumentum, originally probably ‘payment to a miller for grinding corn’, from emolere ‘grind up’, from e- (variant of ex-) ‘out, thoroughly’ + molere ‘grind’.