salarium — an allowance or payment associated with salt
Overview
Meaning Now
A regular payment made for work, usually expressed monthly or annually.
Literal older meaning
an allowance or payment associated with salt
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English → Modern English
Earliest form
salarium
Earliest period
Latin
Journey
Salary came into English through French from Latin salarium. It is related to sal, the Latin word for salt. The popular story that Roman soldiers were literally paid in salt is memorable, but the surviving evidence does not establish that simple claim.
