Webster's English Dictionary

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salt

Cross references:
  1. common salt           
 
1. salt \'so.lt\ n [ME, fr. OE sealt; akin to OHG salz salt, L sal, Gk 
   halsX salt, sea 1a: a crystalline compound NaCl that is the chloride of 
   sodium, abundant in  nature, and used esp. for seasoning or preserving food 
   or in industry 1b: a substance (as sal soda) resembling common salt in some 
   property  pl  1c1: a mineral or saline mixture (as Epsom salts) used as an 
   aperient or ca thartic 1c2: SMELLING SALTS  1d: any of numerous compounds 
   formed by replacement of part or all of the a cid hydrogen of an acid by a 
   metal or radical acting like a metal 2a: an element that gives savor, 
   piquancy, or zest : FLAVOR  2b: sharpness of wit : PUNGENCY  2c: EARTHINESS 
    2d: RESERVE, SKEPTICISM - often used in the phrase with a  grain of salt 
   2e: a scattered elite - usu. used in the phrase salt of the earth  3: 
   SAILOR 
2. salt vt 1a: to sprinkle, rub, impregnate, or season with salt  1b: to 
   preserve (food) with salt or in brine  2: to give flavor or piquancy to  3: 
   to enrich (as a mine) artificially by secretly placing valuable mineral  in 
   some of the working places 4: to supply (as an animal) with salt  5: to 
   sprinkle as if with salt {~ing clouds with silver iodi de}
3. salt aj 1a: SALINE, SALTY  1b: being or inducing one of the four basic 
   taste sensations  2: cured or seasoned with salt : SALTED  3: overflowed 
   with salt water  4: SHARP, PUNGENT  - salt.ness n
4. salt aj [by shortening & alter. fr. assaut, fr. ME a sawt, fr. MF a 
   saut], lit., on the jump : LUSTFUL, LASCIVIOUS