Salary

Pronunciation

• Homophones: celery (in some dialects)

Alternative forms

• sallary obsolete

Origin

From Latin salarium ("salt money, money to buy salt with"), from sal ("salt")

Full definition of salary

Noun

1. A fixed amount of money paid to a worker, usually measured on a monthly or annual basis, not hourly, as wages. Implies a degree of professionalism and/or autonomy.
• ShakespeareThis is hire and salary, not revenge.
• 1668 July 3rd, James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair, “Thomas Rue contra Andrew HouÅ¿toun” in The DeciÅ¿ions of the Lords of Council & SeÅ¿Å¿ion I (Edinburgh, 1683), page 547Andrew HouÅ¿toun and Adam MuÅ¿het, being TackÅ¿men of the Excize, did Imploy Thomas Rue to be their Collector, and gave him a Sallary of 30. pound Sterling for a year.

Verb

1. To pay on the basis of a period of a week or longer, especially to convert from another form of compensation.

Adjective

1. (obsolete) saline