Reward
Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French, variant of Old French reguard ‘regard, heed’, also an early sense of the English word.
wiktionary
From Middle English reward, rewarde, from Old French reward(“reward”) (compare Old French regard, whence modern French regard, and also English regard through Middle French), from rewarder(“to reward”) (compare Old French reguarder), from re- + warder(“to guard, keep”) (compare Old French guarder); the Anglo-Norman forms are derived from Old Northern French variants of Old French, ultimately of Germanic (Frankish) origin. Compare regard, warden, guard. See more below.
Displaced native Middle English lean(“reward”), from Old English lēan(“reward”); Middle English schipe, schepe(“reward, wage”), from Old English scipe(“wages, payment, reward”). Partially displaced Middle English meed, mede(“reward, meed, recompense”), from Old English mēd(“reward, meed, recompense”).
From Middle English rewarden, from Anglo-Norman rewarder(“to reward”) (compare Old French reguarder, whence modern French regarder, also English regard through Middle French), from re- + warder(“to guard, keep”), from Old Northern French[Term?], from Frankish *wardōn(“to guard, keep”), from Proto-Germanic *wardōną(“to guard, defend”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer-(“to cover, shelter, defend, guard, shut”). Cognate with Old Saxon wardōn(“to guard, provide for, protect”), Old English weardian(“to watch, guard, keep”), Old High German wartēn(“to watch, keep, look after”). More at ward.
etymonline
reward (n.)
mid-14c., "what one deserves, just desserts," from Anglo-French and Old North French reward, rouwart, back-formation from rewarder (see reward (v.)).
The meaning "return or payment for service, hardship, etc.," also "something given in recognition of merit, virtue, etc., a prize" is from late 14c. Also from late 14c. sometimes "punishment, recompense for evil-doing." The sense of "sum of money in exchange for capture of a criminal or fugitive or for return of a lost item" is from 1590s.
A doublet of regard (n.), reward also was used in Middle English in the senses now given to that word: "a regarding, heeding, notice, observation," also "respect, esteem."
reward (v.)
c. 1300, rewarden, "to grant, bestow;" early 14c. "to give as prize or compensation," from Anglo-French and Old North French rewarder "to regard, reward" (Old French regarder) "take notice of, regard, watch over." This is from re-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see re-), + warder "look, heed, watch," from Frankish or some other Germanic language, from Proto-Germanic *wardon "to guard" (from PIE root *wer- (3) "perceive, watch out for").
Originally any form of requital, good or bad, for service or evil-doing. A doublet of regard (v.), reward was used 14c.-15c. in the senses now given to that word: "look at; care about; consider." Related: Rewarded; rewarding.
