Dictionary / salary
salary
- noun
- verb
- adjective
- from Anglo-Norman
A fixed amount of money paid to a worker, usually calculated on a monthly or annual basis, not hourly, as wages. Implies a degree of professionalism and/or autonomy.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “salary” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
noun
- A fixed amount of money paid to a worker, usually calculated on a monthly or annual basis, not hourly, as wages. Implies a degree of professionalism and/or autonomy.
This is hire and salary, not revenge.c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blou
verb
- To pay on the basis of a period of a week or longer, especially to convert from another form of compensation.
adjective
No current senses for this part of speech — see older senses.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- obsoleteSaline.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (1)
- nounsomething that remunerates — also: wage, pay, earnings, remuneration
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)salary
- Middle Englishsalarie
- Anglo-Normansalarie
- Old Frenchsalaire
- Latinsalārium “wages”
- Latinsal “salt”
From Middle English salarie, from Anglo-Norman salarie, from Old French salaire, from Latin salārium (“wages”), the neuter form of the adjective salārius (“related to salt”), from sal (“salt”). There have been various attempts to explain how the Latin term for “wages” came from the adjective “related to salt”. It is generally assumed that salārium was an abbreviation of salārium argentum (“salt money”), though that phrase is not attested. A commonly cited theory states that the phrase meant “money consisting of salt”, because, supposedly, Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt, but there is no evidence for either of these claims from ancient sources. Another is that the phrase meant “money used to buy salt [and other miscellaneous items]”.
Derivatives — words built from “salary”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “salary” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “salary” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
salary a. [L. salarius.]
- Saline
salary n. [F. salaire, L. salarium, originally, salt money, the money given to the Roman soldiers for salt, which was a part of their pay, fr. salarius belonging to salt, fr. sal salt. See Salt.]
- The recompense or consideration paid, or stipulated to be paid, to a person at regular intervals for services; fixed wages, as by the year, quarter, or month; stipend; hire.
salary v. t.
- To pay, or agree to pay, a salary to; to attach salary to; as, to salary a clerk; to salary a position.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
nounMeaning: A fixed amount of money paid to a worker, usually calculated on a monthly or annual basis, not hourly, as wages. Implies a degree of professionalism and/or autonomy.
This is hire and salary, not revenge.c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blou
I used to say to our audiences: “It is difficult to get a man understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!”1935, Upton Sinclair, chapter XX, in I, Candidate for Governor: And How I Got Licked, page 109:
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
salary
/ˈsæləɹi/ · sal·a·ry
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
salary
/ˈsæləɹi/ · sal·a·ry · noun, verb, adjective
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “salary” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “salary” and what each means:
Step 4 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Latin sal. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 5 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — salary
Origin: C. Anglo-Norman (Anglo-Norman salarie)
Journey: English salary ← Middle English salarie ← Anglo-Norman salarie ← Old French salaire ← Latin salārium ← Latin sal
Some derivatives: nonsalary, salaried, salaryless, salaryman, supersalary
Original meaning: Latin sal — “salt”
Etymology: From Middle English salarie, from Anglo-Norman salarie, from Old French salaire, from Latin salārium (“wages”), the neuter form of the adjective salārius (“related to salt”), from sal (“salt”). There have been various attempts to explain how the Latin term for “wages” came from the adjective “related to salt”. It is generally assumed that salārium was an abbreviation of salārium argentum (“salt money”), though that phrase is not attested. A commonly cited theory states that the phrase meant “money consisting of salt”, because, supposedly, Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt, but there is no evidence for either of these claims from ancient sources. Another is that the phrase meant “money used to buy salt [and other miscellaneous items]”.
Sources: Wiktionary “salary” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/salary#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/salary