Per diem

per diem
    adv 1: one every day; "we'll save 100 man-hours per diem" [syn:
           {per diem}, {by the day}]
    n 1: a daily allowance for living expenses (especially while
         traveling in connection with your job)
    

Per \Per\, prep. [L. Cf. {Far}, {For-}, {Pardon}, and cf. {Par},
   prep.]
   Through; by means of; through the agency of; by; for; for
   each; as, per annum; per capita, by heads, or according to
   individuals; per curiam, by the court; per se, by itself, of
   itself. Per is also sometimes used with English words.
   [1913 Webster]

   {Per annum}, by the year; in each successive year; annually.
      

   {per cent}, {Per centum}, {percent}, by the hundred; in the
      hundred; a proportion multiplied by one hundred; -- used
      esp. of proportions of ingredients, rate or amount of
      interest, and the like; most commonly used in the
      shortened form per cent; as, 5 is ten per cent of 50. It
      is commonly symbolized with the per cent sign, "%".

   {Per diem}, by the day. [For other phrases from the Latin,
      see Quotations, Phrases, etc., from Foreign Languages, in
      the Supplement.]
      [1913 Webster]
    

Per diem \Per di"em\ [L.]
   By the day; substantively (chiefly U. S.), an allowance or
   amount of so much by the day. Also used adjectivally; as, a
   per diem allowance.
   [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]