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salt of the earth
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noun
an individual or group considered as representative of the best or noblest elements of society.
QUIZ
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Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?
Origin of salt of the earth
1350–1400; Middle English; after Matthew 5:13
Words nearby salt of the earth
salt marsh, salt-marsh caterpillar, salt mine, saltness, Salto, salt of the earth, salt of the Earth, Ye are the, Salton Sea, salt out, salt pan, saltpeter
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use salt of the earth in a sentence
Cultural definitions for salt of the earth
salt of the Earth
Basic, fundamental goodness; the phrase can be used to describe any simple, good person: “I like Mary: she's reliable, trustworthy, and straightforward; she's the salt of the Earth.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers, who are mainly fishermen and other simple people, “Ye are the salt of the Earth.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.