Did you know that ‘Salary’ derives from ‘Salt’ since salt was once used as wages?

Did you know that ‘Salt’ we use in cooking nowadays was once entitled to be as valuable as ‘gold’ and was used as a medium that we called ‘salary’ How is the story going? Let’s follow ACU PAY.

Let’s go back to the evolution of the word “salary”, which originated in Latin sal – meaning “salt”. How does ‘salt’ and ‘salary’ relate? In fact, people in ancient times used to get salt instead of salary!

Salt was once so valuable as gold

This may be surprising because from the Roman era to middle age, salt used to be as worthy as gold in the present time. The reason why the salt demand was so high is because it is difficult to preserve food at that time. Salt was the main ingredient in preserving food. When salt was more valuable, people started to use salt as a medium in trading and salt became one of the currencies. It also symbolizes wealth and power and those who control salt trading were very powerful.

The origin of ‘Salt’ and ‘Salary’

The word ‘salary’ comes from the Latin word ‘salarium,’ which means paying salt instead of money to the Roman army because salt would allow them to preserve their food during battle longer. Moreover, one assumption says that the word ‘soldier’ is derived from the Latin ‘sal dare’, meaning to give salt as well.

The evolution of English occurred by combining words from Latin like ‘solarium’ with the root of the word sal or salt in ancient Greece and it eventually developed into ‘salary’ in the present time.

The transition of salt to a new salary system

As time passes by, the term ‘salarium’ has evolved to cover any form of payment, not just salt. As the Roman Empire expanded and its influence expanded, the use of the term ‘salary’ was also used to represent wages or remuneration for work.

As society developed and trade expanded over many generations, salt gradually lost its status as a medium of exchange, other forms were used instead such as precious metals, gold, and silver. This change has greatly contributed to the economic system and paved the way for the development of modern currencies.

Although salt is not as valuable as it used to be, the idea of using a medium to pay wages has been passed down. Employers have to pay their employees a salary, a reflection of history. Salt’s influence on our language and culture remains firmly established today.