Plural of bounty; generous gifts or rewards, or sums of money offered as payment for accomplishing a task.
From Old French 'bonte' meaning goodness, from Latin 'bonitas.' The sense evolved from 'goodness' to 'generous gift' to the modern meaning of a reward or incentive payment.
During piracy's golden age, governments posted 'bounties' on pirates' heads—the higher the bounty, the more dangerous the pirate, and the more lucrative the hunt.
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