Definition

Noun: 1. A sealed envelope containing an employee's wages in cash: Historically, this term refers to the physical envelope used to distribute an employee's earnings, typically at the end of a work week or pay period. The focus is on the method of payment distribution. 2. (By extension) One's wages or salary: The term is also used more generally to refer to the amount of money one earns from employment, emphasizing the payment received.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Literal):
  • The factory workers lined up every Friday to receive their pay envelope from the foreman.
  • Before direct deposit was common, employees would eagerly await the pay envelope at the end of the month.
• Noun (Figurative):
  • He was worried about how the new tax would affect his pay envelope.
  • The size of her pay envelope reflects her years of experience and hard work.

Advanced Usage

• "To be concerned about one's pay envelope": To be worried about one's income or job security.
  • With rumors of layoffs, many employees are primarily concerned about their pay envelopes.

Variants and Related Words

• Pay packet (noun, chiefly British): A direct synonym for , referring to the envelope or packet containing wages.
• Paycheck (noun): A more modern and common term for a check issued in payment of wages or salary. It is often used interchangeably with to mean one's earnings, even when payment is electronic.
• Wages (noun): Money paid, especially at a regular rate, for labor or services.

Synonyms

• Earnings
• Remuneration
• Take-home pay

Related Idioms

• To bring home the bacon: To earn a living or provide financial support for one's family. This idiom is conceptually related to as both concern earning wages.
  • With both parents working, they manage to bring home the bacon comfortably.

Noun

1. wages enclosed in an envelope for distribution to the wage earner