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salt

noun
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\ ˈsȯlt How to pronounce salt (audio) \

Definition of salt

 (Entry 1 of 5)

1a : a crystalline compound NaCl that consists of sodium chloride, is abundant in nature, and is used especially to season or preserve food or in industry

— called also common salt

b : a substance (such as Glauber's salt) resembling common salt
c salts plural
(1) : a mineral or saline mixture (such as Epsom salts) used as an aperient or cathartic
(2) : smelling salts
d : any of various compounds that result from replacement of part or all of the acid hydrogen of an acid by a metal or a group acting like a metal : an ionic crystalline compound
2 : a container for salt at table —often used in the phrases above the salt and below the salt alluding to the former custom of seating persons of higher rank above and those of lower rank below a saltcellar placed in the middle of a long table
3a : an ingredient that gives savor, piquancy, or zest : flavor a people … full of life, vigor, and the salt of personality— Clifton Fadiman
b : sharpness of wit : pungency
c : common sense
d : reserve, skepticism — see grain of salt
e : a dependable steadfast person or group of people —usually used in the phrase salt of the earth
4 : sailor a tale worthy of an old salt
5 : keep sense 1 —usually used in the phrase worth one's salt

salt

verb
salted; salting; salts

Definition of salt (Entry 2 of 5)

transitive verb

1a : to treat, provide, or season with common salt salt the food salt a driveway
b : to preserve (food) with salt or in brine a supply of salted beef/fish
c : to supply (an animal) with salt the field where cattle are salted
2 : to give flavor or piquancy to (something, such as a story)
3a : to enrich (a mine) artificially by secretly placing valuable mineral in some of the working places
b : to add something to secretly salted the files with forged papers also : to insert or place secretly salted the mines along the road
4a : to sprinkle with or as if with a salt
b : scatter, intersperse

salt

adjective (1)

Definition of salt (Entry 3 of 5)

1a : full of or containing salt : saline, salty sense 1a salt tears a salt solution
b : being, inducing, or marked by the one of the five basic taste sensations that is suggestive of seawater : salty sense 1b — compare bitter entry 1 sense 1a, sour entry 1 sense 1, sweet entry 1 sense 1, umami entry 2
2 : cured or seasoned with salt : salted salt cod
3 : overflowed with salt water a salt pond
4 : sharp, pungent

salt

adjective (2)

Definition of salt (Entry 4 of 5)

obsolete
: lustful, lascivious

SALT

abbreviation
\ ˈsȯlt How to pronounce SALT (audio) \

Definition of SALT (Entry 5 of 5)

1 Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
2 state and local taxes
Other Words from salt Synonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing salt Learn More About salt

Other Words from salt

Noun

saltlike \ ˈsȯlt-​ˌlīk How to pronounce SALT (audio) \ adjective

Verb

salter \ ˈsȯl-​tər How to pronounce SALT (audio) \ noun

Adjective (1)

saltness noun

Examples of salt in a Sentence

Noun The soup needs a little more salt. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Verb The meat was preserved by being salted and smoked. The city salted the roads after the snowstorm.

First Known Use of salt

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective (2)

1598, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for salt

Noun

Middle English, from Old English sealt; akin to Old High German salz salt, Lithuanian saldus sweet, Latin sal salt, Greek hals salt, sea

Adjective (2)

by shortening & alteration from assaut, from Middle English, from Anglo-French en saut in rut

Buying Guide

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Time Traveler for salt

Time Traveler

The first known use of salt was before the 12th century

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Dictionary Entries Near salt

salsuginous

salt

SALT

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Statistics for salt

Cite this Entry

“Salt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salt. Accessed 28 Jun. 2022.

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More Definitions for salt

salt

noun
\ ˈsȯlt How to pronounce salt (audio) \

Kids Definition of salt

 (Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a colorless or white substance that consists of sodium and chlorine and is used in seasoning and preserving food and in industry
2 : a compound formed by the combination of an acid and a base or a metal

salt

verb
salted; salting

Kids Definition of salt (Entry 2 of 3)

: to flavor or preserve with salt

salt

adjective

Kids Definition of salt (Entry 3 of 3)

: containing salt : salty salt water

salt

noun
\ ˈsȯlt How to pronounce salt (audio) \

Medical Definition of salt

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a crystalline compound NaCl that is the chloride of sodium, is abundant in nature, and is used especially to season or preserve food or in industry

— called also common salt, sodium chloride

b : a substance (as Glauber's salt) resembling common salt
c : any of numerous compounds that result from replacement of part or all of the acid hydrogen of an acid by a metal or a group acting like a metal : an ionic crystalline compound
2 salts plural
a : a mineral or saline mixture (as Epsom salts) used as an aperient or cathartic
b : smelling salts

salt

adjective

Medical Definition of salt (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : saline, salty
2 : being or inducing the one of the four basic taste sensations that is suggestive of seawater — compare bitter, sour entry 1, sweet entry 1

Salt geographical name

\ ˈsȯlt How to pronounce Salt (audio) \

Definition of Salt

1 river 200 miles (322 kilometers) long in Arizona flowing west into the Gila River
2 river 100 miles (161 kilometers) long in north central Kentucky flowing into the Ohio River
3 river 200 miles (322 kilometers) long in northeastern Missouri flowing southeast into the Mississippi River

More from Merriam-Webster on salt

Nglish: Translation of salt for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of salt for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about salt

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