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Glite Dictionary
💵 A daily allowance 📅 For each day
per diem

per diem

1 6.9
For each day
  • adverb
  • /pər ˈdiːəm/
translation icon : diariamente
  • Each research assistant receives a small stipend per diem while in the field.

Examples

  • Employees receive a per diem of $50 for meals during their business trips.

  • Hotel guests are charged for parking per diem in addition to their room rates.

  • The company allows a travel expense reimbursement of fifty dollars per diem.

  • The consultant was paid per diem!

  • How much do you earn per diem?

  • The contract states that the workers will be paid per diem for each day on the project site.

  • During the conference, attendees were given a per diem to cover their daily expenses.

Synonyms

daily
vsper diem
∞ 1.0

Happening or done every day

means the same each day but uses a different word form
by the day
vsper diem
24 2.3

For each day

means the same idea for each day but uses another phrasing
day-to-day basis
vsper diem
20 2.5

Part of your normal routine that happens every day

refers simply to each day rather than routine habit

Surface Forms

per diem positive

Morphology

per + diem

The meaning is directly compositional: 'per' marks a rate/ratio ('for each') and 'diem' is Latin for 'day', so together they yield 'for each day'. Although 'diem' is a Latin borrowing and not common in everyday English, if a learner knows both constituents the overall meaning is immediately derivable.

Etymology

Per diem as an adverb comes from the same Latin parts: per 'for each' and diem 'day'. It pictures doing or paying something day by day, so it is used to mean 'for each day' or 'daily'.