Salary Definition, Examples, and Key Usage

Meaning 1：salary (Salary)

Salary 🔊

/ˈsæləri/

Money you get regularly from your job, usually paid monthly into your bank account.

salary 🔊

➕

/ˈsæləri/

A fixed regular payment, typically paid monthly, earned by an employee for their work.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'salarium' (salt money), referring to Roman soldiers' salt allowance.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine salt (sal) as salary — Roman soldiers were paid in salt.

📖 Example

After getting her first salary, she immediately started planning a trip to the mountains. 🔊 After getting her first salary, she immediately started planning a trip to the mountains.

🔗 Collocations

base salary – the fixed minimum salary before bonuses or deductions

annual salary – the total salary earned in one year

salary increase – a raise in one's regular pay

🔄 Synonyms

wages (n.) – payment for labor, usually calculated hourly or weekly

pay (n.) – money received for work done

earnings (n.) – total income from work or investments

🚫 Antonyms

expenses (n.) – money spent on goods and services

🌱 Derivatives

salaried (adj.) – receiving a regular salary

salaryman (n.) – a male office worker who earns a salary (often used in Japanese context)

📖 Cultural Story

Originating from Latin 'salarium', a Roman soldier's allowance for salt, a vital commodity. Over time, it evolved to mean regular employment payment.