[ sɔ:lt , sɒlt ]
■ noun
1》 (also common ~ ) sodium chloride, a white crystalline substance which gives seawater its characteristic taste and is used for seasoning or preserving food.
↘ literary something which adds freshness or piquancy.
2》 Chemistry any chemical compound formed by the reaction of an acid with a base, with the hydrogen of the acid replaced by a metal or other cation.
3》 (usu. old ~ ) informal an experienced sailor.
■ adjective
1》 impregnated with ~.
2》 (of a plant) growing on the coast or in ~ marshes.
■ verb
1》 [often as adjective ~ed ] season or preserve with ~.
↘make piquant or more interesting.
2》 sprinkle (a road or path) with ~ in order to melt snow or ice.
3》 ( ~ something away ) informal secretly store or put by something, especially money.
4》 informal fraudulently make (a mine) appear to be a paying one by placing rich ore into it.
5》 ( ~ something out ) cause soap to separate from lye by adding ~.
↘ Chemistry cause an organic compound to separate from an aqueous solution by adding an electrolyte.
6》 [as adjective ~ed ] (of a horse) having developed a resistance to disease by surviving it.
Phrases
rub ~ into the wound make a painful experience even more painful.
the ~ of the earth a person of great kindness, reliability, or honesty. [with biblical allusion to Matt 5:13.]
sit below the ~ be of lower social standing. [from the former custom of placing a ~ cellar in the middle of a dining table with the host at one end.]
take something with a pinch (or grain ) of ~ regard something as exaggerated; believe only part of something.
worth one's ~ good or competent at one's job or allotted task.
Derivatives
~ish adjective
~less adjective
~ness noun
Origin
OE sealt (n.), sealtan (v.), of Gmc origin.