In Old English and medieval law, compensation or recompense paid for an injury or wrong; a monetary payment to settle a dispute.
From Old English 'bot,' related to Germanic roots meaning 'remedy' or 'compensation.' The word is related to 'better' in the sense of 'to make better' or 'remedy.'
In medieval times, if someone injured you, instead of fighting, you could demand 'bote'—a cash payment—which was basically the ancestor of modern lawsuits and insurance claims!
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