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salt

[ sawlt ]

/ sɔlt /

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noun

a crystalline compound, sodium chloride, NaCl, occurring as a mineral, a constituent of seawater, etc., and used for seasoning food, as a preservative, etc.

table salt mixed with a particular herb or seasoning for which it is named: garlic salt;celery salt.

Chemistry. any of a class of compounds formed by the replacement of one or more hydrogen atoms of an acid with elements or groups, which are composed of anions and cations, and which usually ionize in solution; a product formed by the neutralization of an acid by a base.

salts, any of various salts used as purgatives, as Epsom salts.

an element that gives liveliness, piquancy, or pungency: Anecdotes are the salt of his narrative.

wit; pungency.

a small, usually open dish, as of silver or glass, used on the table for holding salt.

Informal. a sailor, especially an old or experienced one: He's an old salt who'll be happy to tell you about his years at sea.

verb (used with object)

to season with salt.

to cure, preserve, or treat with salt.

to furnish with salt: to salt cattle.

to treat with common salt or with any chemical salt.

to spread salt, especially rock salt, on so as to melt snow or ice: The highway department salted the roads after the storm.

to introduce rich ore or other valuable matter fraudulently into (a mine, the ground, a mineral sample, etc.) to create a false impression of value.

to add interest or excitement to: a novel salted with witty dialogue.

adjective

containing salt; having the taste of salt: salt water.

cured or preserved with salt: salt cod.

inundated by or growing in salt water: salt marsh.

producing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is not sweet, sour, or bitter.

pungent or sharp: salt speech.

Verb Phrases

salt away,

Also salt down . to preserve by adding quantities of salt to, as meat.
Informal. to keep in reserve; store away; save: to salt away most of one's earnings.

salt out, to separate (a dissolved substance) from a solution by the addition of a salt, especially common salt.

OTHER WORDS FOR salt

5 flavor, zest.

See synonyms for salt on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about salt

rub salt in / into someone's wounds, to make someone's bad situation even worse.

with a grain / pinch of salt, with reserve or allowance; with an attitude of skepticism: Diplomats took the reports of an impending crisis with a grain of salt.

worth one's salt, deserving of one's wages or salary: We couldn't find an assistant worth her salt.

Origin of salt

First recorded before 900; Middle English; noun and adjective salt, salte, zalt, Old English sealt; cognate with German Salz, Old Norse, Gothic salt, all from Germanic saltam; akin to Latin sal, Greek háls, Slavic (Polish ) sol-, Celtic (Irish ) salann ; Middle English verb salten, Old English saltan, sealtan; compare Old High German salzan, Old Norse salta, Dutch zouten; akin to Latin sallere “to sprinkle with salt”; see also halo-, salary, sauce

synonym study for salt

8. See sailor.

OTHER WORDS FROM salt

saltlike, adjective

Words nearby salt

salpinx, salsa, salsa verde, salsify, sal soda, salt, salta, saltando, saltant, saltarello, saltation

Other definitions for salt (2 of 3)

salt²

[ sawlt ]

/ sɔlt /

adjective Obsolete.

lustful; lecherous.

Origin of salt

First recorded in 1515–25; by shortening and alteration of assaut, Middle English a sawt, from Middle French a saut “on the jump,” from a- a-⁵ + saut “a jump,” from Latin saltus, equivalent to sal(īre) “to jump” + -tus suffix of verbal action; see also halter², salacious

Other definitions for salt (3 of 3)

SALT

[ sawlt ]

/ sɔlt /

noun

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use salt in a sentence

Along with the expected water and salts, the geysers contain organic compounds.
These Images Expose the Dark Side of the Solar System - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Corey S. Powell|August 26, 2020|Nautilus
The salts found on the surface are important in helping to maintain liquid water within an environment like Ceres.
The dwarf planet Ceres might be home to an underground ocean of water|Neel Patel|August 11, 2020|MIT Technology Review
He also learned how salt marshes can protect inland communities by buffering those waves.
For teens, big problems may lead to meaningful research|Carolyn Wilke|July 28, 2020|Science News For Students
For some tastes, such as salt, scientists can isolate the taste alone, dropping salty water right into the mouth.
Can we taste fat? The brain thinks so|Bethany Brookshire|July 24, 2020|Science News For Students

The team also tested the device with artificial sweat that included water and salts.
Working up a sweat may one day power up a device|Carolyn Wilke|June 29, 2020|Science News For Students
Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt on parchment or wax paper.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Sticky Toffee Pudding|Carla Hall|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whisk in the half and half and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole|Carla Hall|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season liberally with salt.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole|Carla Hall|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Remove from heat and stir in the walnuts, rum, powdered sugar, and salt until fully incorporated.
Carla Hall’s Christmas Day Treat: Rum Balls|Carla Hall|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rub the loin with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Make Carla Hall’s Roasted Pork Loin With Cranberries|Carla Hall|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Afghan was true to his salt, and their own retainers, who had come with them from Lucknow, remained steadfast at this crisis.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Robert Fitzgerald received a patent in England for making salt water fresh.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
The men arrived in very bad condition, and many of them blinded with the salt water which had dashed into their eyes.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
He shall pour frost as salt upon the earth: and when it freezeth, it shall become like the tops of thistles.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
How still it was, with only the voice of the sea whispering through the reeds that grew in the salt-water pools!
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for salt (1 of 2)

salt

/ (sɔːlt) /

noun

a white powder or colourless crystalline solid, consisting mainly of sodium chloride and used for seasoning and preserving food

(modifier) preserved in, flooded with, containing, or growing in salt or salty watersalt pork; salt marshes

chem any of a class of usually crystalline solid compounds that are formed from, or can be regarded as formed from, an acid and a base by replacement of one or more hydrogen atoms in the acid molecules by positive ions from the base

liveliness or pungencyhis wit added salt to the discussion

dry or laconic wit

a sailor, esp one who is old and experienced

short for saltcellar

rub salt into someone's wounds to make someone's pain, shame, etc, even worse

salt of the earth a person or group of people regarded as the finest of their kind

with a grain of salt or with a pinch of salt with reservations; sceptically

worth one's salt efficient; worthy of one's pay

verb (tr)

to season or preserve with salt

to scatter salt over (an icy road, path, etc) to melt the ice

to add zest to

(often foll by down or away) to preserve or cure with salt or saline solution

chem to treat with common salt or other chemical salt

to provide (cattle, etc) with salt

to give a false appearance of value to, esp to introduce valuable ore fraudulently into (a mine, sample, etc)

adjective

not sour, sweet, or bitter; salty

obsolete rank or lascivious (esp in the phrase a salt wit)

Derived forms of salt

saltish, adjectivesaltless, adjectivesaltlike, adjectivesaltness, noun

Word Origin for salt

Old English sealt; related to Old Norse, Gothic salt, German Salz, Lettish sāls, Latin sāl, Greek hals

British Dictionary definitions for salt (2 of 2)

SALT

/ (sɔːlt) /

n acronym for

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks or Treaty

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for salt

salt

[ sôlt ]

Any of a large class of chemical compounds formed when a positively charged ion (a cation) bonds with a negatively charged ion (an anion), as when a halogen bonds with a metal. Salts are water soluble; when dissolved, the ions are freed from each other, and the electrical conductivity of the water is increased. See more at complex salt double salt simple salt.

A colorless or white crystalline salt in which a sodium atom (the cation) is bonded to a chlorine atom (the anion). This salt is found naturally in all animal fluids, in seawater, and in underground deposits (when it is often called halite). It is used widely as a food seasoning and preservative. Also called common salt, sodium chloride, table salt. Chemical formula: NaCl.

Cultural definitions for salt

salt

In chemistry, a compound resulting from the combination of an acid and a base, which neutralize each other.

notes for salt

Common table salt is sodium chloride.

Other Idioms and Phrases with salt

salt

In addition to the idioms beginning with salt

salt away
salt of the earth, the

also see:

back to the salt mines
with a grain of salt

salt

OTHER WORDS FOR salt

Idioms about salt

Origin of salt

synonym study for salt

OTHER WORDS FROM salt

Words nearby salt

Other definitions for salt (2 of 3)

Origin of salt

Other definitions for salt (3 of 3)

Words related to salt

How to use salt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for salt (1 of 2)

Derived forms of salt

Word Origin for salt

British Dictionary definitions for salt (2 of 2)

Scientific definitions for salt

Cultural definitions for salt

notes for salt

Other Idioms and Phrases with salt