daywork
nounUK /ˈdeɪwɜːk/ · US /ˈdeɪwɝk/
Etymology From Middle English daywork, daywerk, from Old English dæġweorc, from Proto-West Germanic *dagawerk, from Proto-Germanic *dagawerką. By surface analysis, day + work.
1
Archaic The work done in a day; a day's work.
2
Obsolete The amount of land that can be worked in a day.
3
Work carried out or paid for on a daily basis; day labour.
4
Work done during the day; specifically, the cover-work carried out by someone involved in intelligence work, as opposed to their secret activities.
- ‘The task of servicing such moles is not entrusted to normal overseas residencies but to a Karla representative, as he is known, usually a military officer, whose daywork is to be an attaché of an Embassy.’1979, John Le Carré, Smiley's People, Folio Society, published 2010, page 257:
- Related terms
- dayworker