salt
Salt (noun) means a white crystalline substance used to season and preserve food, made mainly of sodium chloride. Example: “She added a pinch of salt to the soup to bring out the flavour.”
How to use salt
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe everyday seasoning, or, as a verb, to add it or scatter something liberally.
The phrase "take it with a grain of salt" means to be a bit sceptical about something you've been told.
Trace the full origin ↓Word forms
more salt comparative, salted past tense, salts plural, salts plural, Salts plural, salts singular, most salt superlative
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She added a pinch of _____ to the soup to bring out the flavour.
Etymology
From Old English sealt, tracing back to a very old Proto-Indo-European root for salt shared across most European languages — also the source of "salary" (Roman soldiers were once paid partly in salt).
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for salt
See all rhymes for salt →Frequently asked questions
What does “salt” mean?
The word “salt” means a white crystalline substance used to season and preserve food, made mainly of sodium chloride. In plain terms, the everyday seasoning, or, as a verb, to add it or scatter something liberally.
How do you pronounce “salt”?
“Salt” is pronounced solt (/sɑlt/ in IPA).
How do you use “salt” in a sentence?
Here is “salt” used in a sentence: “She added a pinch of salt to the soup to bring out the flavour.”
What is another word for “salt”?
Words with a similar meaning to “salt” include sal.
What is the opposite of “salt”?
The opposite of “salt” — its antonyms — is desalt.
What part of speech is “salt”?
Depending on how it is used, “salt” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “salt” come from?
The word “salt” comes from Old English. From Old English sealt, tracing back to a very old Proto-Indo-European root for salt shared across most European languages — also the source of "salary" (Roman soldiers were once paid partly in salt).
Is “salt” a common word?
“Salt” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
What is salt made of?
Common table salt is made mainly of sodium chloride, a compound of the elements sodium and chlorine, written chemically as NaCl. It forms naturally as cube-shaped crystals. Other salts sold for cooking, such as sea salt and rock salt, are also largely sodium chloride but keep small amounts of other minerals.
What are the main types of salt?
Common kinds include table salt, usually fine and often iodised; sea salt, made by evaporating seawater; and rock salt, mined from underground deposits. Kosher salt has coarse flakes, while pink Himalayan salt gets its colour from trace minerals. All are chiefly sodium chloride but differ in texture and taste.
Why is salt used to preserve food?
Salt draws moisture out of food and out of any microbes on it, creating conditions where bacteria struggle to grow and spoilage slows dramatically. This is why salting and brining have preserved meat and fish for thousands of years, long before refrigeration existed. It also deepens and sharpens flavour.
Is too much salt bad for you?
The body needs some salt to work properly, but consistently eating a lot is linked by health authorities to raised blood pressure and heart strain. Most dietary guidance suggests keeping intake moderate. Much of the salt people consume comes from processed and restaurant food rather than the shaker.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include salt: