| back pay | |
| —n | |
| pay received by an employee from an increase awarded retrospectively | |
| Main Entry: | back pay |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | a payment due for previously done work; also, salary overdue from a past pay period. Also written backpay; also called back payment, back salary, back wages |
| Etymology: | 1804-09 |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |