English

back pay

A withheld payment for work which has already been completed, or which could have been completed had the employee not been prevented from doing so.

    Etymology graph

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    • borrowed
    • derived
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    • meaning component
    • sound component
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    React Flow

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    Origin

    From back + pay.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • partEnglishback “At or near the rear.”
      • derived (ultimately)Proto-Indo-European*bʰeg- “back, buttocks; to vault, arch”
      • inheritedMiddle Englishbak
        • inheritedOld Englishbæc “stream, brook”
      • borrowedFrenchbac “vat; ferry”
        • derivedVulgar Latin*baccu “container”
    • partEnglishpay “To give money or other compensation to in exchange for goods or services.”
      • inheritedMiddle Englishpayen
        • derivedOld Frenchpaiier “pay”
      • derivedOld Frenchpeier
        • derivedLatinpico “to cover with pitch”

    Sources