Damages
Etymology
From Old French “damage,” from Latin “damnum” (loss, harm, or hurt) — the same root that gives us “damn,” “condemn,” and “indemnity.” The plural “damages” shifted the sense from the harm itself to the payment that answers for it.
noun · /DAM-ij-iz/
A sum of money a court orders one party to pay another as compensation for harm or loss.
What it names
The money side of winning a lawsuit — reach for it to name what a plaintiff actually collects, and to separate compensation from punishment.
Example
The jury awarded her $200,000 in damages for the injury and lost wages.
Related idea
Two kinds are routinely confused: compensatory damages reimburse the actual loss, while punitive damages are extra money meant to punish especially reckless conduct and deter others. Compare restitution, which returns a specific gain rather than compensating a loss.