'piecework' originates from English, specifically the compound 'piece' + 'work', where 'piece' meant 'a portion, part or single item' and 'work' meant 'labor' or 'task'.

'piecework' developed as a compound in modern English (from the 18th–19th century industrial context) combining 'piece' and 'work' to describe labor paid by individual units produced; it entered common usage to describe payment systems used in manufacturing and cottage industries.

Initially it described 'work done in separate pieces or units'; over time it evolved to primarily mean 'work paid for by the piece' (a pay system) and the sense of payment per item became the dominant modern meaning.