Where does “サラリーマン” come from?
サラリーマン (Japanese) comes from English salary, from Middle English salarie, from Anglo-Norman salarie, from Old French salaire, from Latin salārium, from Latin sāl, from Proto-Italic sāls, from Proto-Indo-European *sḗh₂l — salt.
サラリーマン (Japanese): a salaryman
Definitions
- a salaryman
Ancestry of “サラリーマン”, step by step
サラリーマン traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English salary
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | salary | A fixed amount of money paid to a worker, usually... |
| 2 | Middle English | salarie | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | salarie | Alternative form of salaire |
| 4 | Old French | salaire | salary |
| 5 | Latin | salārium | a salary, stipend, allowance, pension |
| 6 | Latin | sāl | salt |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | sāls | salt |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *sḗh₂l | salt |
via English salaried man
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | salaried man | — |