“Guerdon” is a loanword from Old French, where it meant “recompense,” and the French word “guerdon” has ties to “widarlōn” in Old High German and “wiþerlēan” in Old English — both meaning “reward.” “Guerdon” was more frequently used in English as a literary or poetic synonym, including in the works of Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Tennyson. As a result, “guerdon” is used almost exclusively as a poetic term that emphasizes the importance of the reward.