ˈdaywork, day-work
[Cf. also darg.]
† 1. The work of a day; = day's work. Obs. or north. dial.
| a 1000 Cædmon's Exod. 151 (Gr.) Þæt he þæt dæᵹweorc dreore ᵹebohte. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. viii. xvi. 224 Na man..evyr herd, or saw befor..A Daywerk to þat Daywerk lyk. 1535 Coverdale 1 Chron. xvii. [xvi.] 37 Euery daye his daye worke. 1832 Specimens Yorkshire Dialect, Monny a daywark we ha' wrought togither. |
† 2. The amount of land that could be worked (ploughed, mown, etc.) in a day. Obs.
| [c 1270 Merton Coll. Rec. No. 1257 (Essex) Sex Day⁓wercatas terrae meae.] 1318–19 MS. in Sotheby's Sale Catal. 7 Apr. (1892) 22, Grant from Richard de Twysdenne..of a Garden of 13 Dayworks of Land in Gudhurst. 1492 Will of Reede (Somerset Ho.), xj day werkes of land. 1534 Inv. Sir L. Bagot in Lichfield Merc. (1889) 23 Aug. 8/1, xxviij day-warke of pea..xij daye-warke of barley..xxiiij daye-warke of whet. 1641 Best Farm. Bks. (Surtees) 38 The South Wandell close, with its bottomes, is 8 dayworkes, or will serve one mower 8 dayes. |
3. Work done by the day and paid by daily wages; day labour.
| 1580 North Plutarch (1676) 950 With Masons that had their day-work. 1702 Lond. Gaz. No. 3786/4 Committed by one who does Day-work in Deptford and Woolwich Yards. 1751 C. Labelye Westm. Br. 79 All the workmanship..being suffered to be done by Day-Work. 1851 Ord. & Regul. R. Engineers §16. 64 To state the weekly delivery of Materials and performance of Day-work. |