payroll

Etymology

pay + roll

noun

1. A list of employees who receive salary or wages, together with the amounts due to each.
2. The total sum of money paid to employees.
3. (accounting) The calculation of salaries and wages and the deduction of taxes etc.; the department in a company responsible for this.
4. (euphemistic) Bribes paid to people.
   I know that the deal started with the boys in Santiago, because they’ve been on the d’Anconia pay roll for centuries — well, no, ‘pay roll’ is an honorable word, it would be more exact to say that d’Anconia Copper has been paying them protection money for centuries — isn't that what your gangsters call it? 1957, Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
   We can spread a rumor this cop was dirty. Look, Tom, we have newspaper people on the payroll, don't we? 1972, The Godfather, spoken by Michael Corleone

verb

1. (transitive) To place on a payroll.
   Grantees may elect to payroll the enrollees through their own payroll system if the payroll system is consistent with regulations contained herein. 1985, The Code of Federal regulations of the United States of America, page 37