The word "salary" has its origins in the Latin word salarium, which was a payment made to Roman soldiers in addition to their regular wages. This payment was originally in the form of salt, which was a valuable commodity in ancient times. The word "salarium" was a combination of the words "sal," meaning salt, and "arius," meaning pertaining to.
The practice of paying soldiers in salt dates back to the early Roman Republic when soldiers were paid in kind rather than with money. Salt was used to preserve food and was essential for the Roman army, which was often on the move. The salarium was also used to pay for other expenses, such as buying equipment and clothing.
Why Salt?
Before refrigeration, salt was the most reliable way to keep food edible for months at a time. Armies on long campaigns could not survive without it, and the trade routes that carried salt across the Roman world were strategically as important as those that carried grain. The Latin proverb "non est sal" ("he is not worth his salt") survives in English to this day — a fossilised reminder of how directly salt was equated with value.
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From Salarium to Salary
The concept of the salarium eventually evolved to include other forms of payment, such as money or goods, and came to be used to refer to any form of compensation or payment for services. The word "salary" first appeared in the English language in the 14th century, and it was used to refer to a fixed payment for services, such as a payment made to a cleric or a teacher.
The use of the word "salary" has continued to evolve over time, and today it is used to refer to a fixed or regular payment made to an employee, typically on a monthly or bi-weekly basis. In modern times, a salary is usually paid in money, but it can also include other forms of compensation, such as benefits, stock options, and bonuses.
Salt's Linguistic Legacy
The Latin sal seeded a small forest of English words. Salad originally meant "salted vegetables." Sausage traces back to salsus, "salted." A salary-earning employee is, etymologically, someone paid in salt — even when their paycheque arrives by direct deposit.