I. salt 1 S2 W3 /sɔːlt $ sɒːlt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: sealt ]
1 . [uncountable] a natural white mineral that is added to food to make it taste better or to preserve it:
This might need some salt and pepper.
a pinch of salt (=a very small amount)
Could you pass the salt?
2 . the salt of the earth someone who is ordinary but good and honest
3 . take something with a pinch/grain of salt informal to not completely believe what someone tells you, because you know that they do not always tell the truth:
Most of what he says should be taken with a pinch of salt.
4 . [countable] technical a type of chemical substance that is formed when an acid is combined with a ↑ base
⇨ ↑ Epsom salts , ↑ smelling salts , ↑ old salt , ⇨ rub salt into sb’s wounds at ↑ rub 1 (7), ⇨ worth his/her salt at ↑ worth 1 (10)
II. salt 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to add salt to food to make it taste better:
salted peanuts
2 . ( also salt down ) to add salt to food to preserve it
salted pork/meat/fish
The meat is salted to store it through the winter.
3 . to put salt on the roads to prevent them from becoming icy
salt something ↔ away phrasal verb
to save money for the future, especially dishonestly by hiding it:
She salted the money away in a secret account.
III. salt 3 BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
1 . preserved with salt:
salt pork
2 . salt water water that contains salt, especially naturally in the sea
3 . consisting of salt water:
a salt lake