half pay

half one's regular pay.

a reduced amount paid to a British army or navy officer when not in actual service or after retirement.

Origin of half pay

First recorded in 1655–65

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Fancy liking to walk three miles, now, to dine with Jones and drink his half-pay port!
The Virginians|William Makepeace Thackeray
I shall be glad to give you the half-pay up to date, for doubtless it will reach his wife more safely through you.
A Retrospect|James Hudson Taylor
The President could do little with the axe or wheelbarrow himself; and half-pay could employ but few labourers at 3s.
Toronto of Old|Henry Scadding
This he had since commuted for half-pay, and, of course, had virtually parted with its privileges.
The Student's Life of Washington; Condensed from the Larger Work of Washington Irving|Washington Irving

This rendered it unnecessary for us to consult the army on the equivalent for half-pay.
History of the Origin, Formation, and Adoption of the Constitution of the United States, Vol. 1|George Ticknor Curtis