salary (English)
Where does "salary" come from?
The word 'salary' traces its roots back to the Latin 'salarium,' which likely originated from the word for salt, 'sal.' While popular lore suggests Roman soldiers were paid directly in salt, it is more historically plausible that the term referred to an allowance used to purchase salt and other necessities. Passing through Old French and Anglo-Norman before settling into English, the word evolved from these ancient connotations to describe the fixed compensation we receive today.
Full etymology tree
- salary (English), 'Saline.'
- inherited salarie (Middle English)
- inherited salarie (Anglo-Norman)
- inherited salaire (Old French), 'salary (fixed amount of money paid to a worker per month, per year, etc.)'
- learned borrowing salarium (Latin), 'a salary, stipend, allowance, pension'
- derived salarius (Latin), 'Of or pertaining to salt.'
- derived sal (Latin), 'salt'
- inherited *sāls (Proto-Italic), 'salt'
- inherited *séh₂ls (Proto-Indo-European), 'salt'
- inherited *sāls (Proto-Italic), 'salt'
- derived sal (Latin), 'salt'
- derived salarius (Latin), 'Of or pertaining to salt.'
- learned borrowing salarium (Latin), 'a salary, stipend, allowance, pension'
- inherited salaire (Old French), 'salary (fixed amount of money paid to a worker per month, per year, etc.)'
- inherited salarie (Anglo-Norman)
- inherited salarie (Middle English)
Direct ancestors
Updated May 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris