salt
Other forms: salted; salts; salting; saltly
The white, grainy stuff that makes food taste more flavorful is salt. You might sprinkle salt on your hot buttered popcorn to make it even more delicious.
Although many people eat too much salt, it's actually necessary for life, in both plants and animals. The scientific name for salt is sodium chloride, and it's been harvested from seawater and salt mines for most of human history. When you use salt as a verb, it means "shake salt onto." If someone's known as an old salt, it means they're an experienced sailor — and if they're the salt of the earth, they're honest and reliable.
Definitions of salt
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white crystalline form of especially sodium chloride used to season and preserve foodsynonyms: common salt, table salt
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a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)types:citratea salt or ester of citric acidarsenatea salt or ester of arsenic acidchlorateany salt of chloric aciddibasic salta salt derived by replacing two hydrogen atoms per moleculehypochloriteany salt or ester of hypochlorous acidpyrophosphatea salt or ester of pyrophosphoric acidsulfonatea salt of sulphonic acidlactatea salt or ester of lactic acidperchloratea salt of perchloric acidalkalia mixture of soluble salts found in arid soils and some bodies of water; detrimental to agriculturebenzoateany salt or ester of benzoic acidboratea salt or ester of boric acidborosilicatea salt of boric and silicic acidscalcium lactatea white crystalline salt made by the action of lactic acid on calcium carbonate; used in foods (as a baking powder) and given medically as a source of calciumcalcium octadecanoate, calcium stearatean insoluble calcium salt of stearic acid and palmitic acid; it is formed when soap is mixed with water that contains calcium ions and is the scum produced in regions of hard watercarbamatea salt (or ester) of carbamic acidcarbonatea salt or ester of carbonic acid (containing the anion CO3)fulminatea salt or ester of fulminic acidchromateany salt or ester of chromic acidcyanidean extremely poisonous salt of hydrocyanic acidpotassium bromidea white crystalline salt (KBr) used as a sedative and in photographypotassium chloratea white salt (KClO3) used in matches, fireworks, and explosives; also used as a disinfectant and bleaching agentpotassium dichromatean orange-red salt used in making dyes and in photographyferricyanidesalt of ferricyanic acid obtained by oxidation of a ferrocyanideferrocyanidesalt of ferrocyanic acid usually obtained by a reaction of a cyanide with iron sulphatefluoroboridea salt of fluoroboric acidfluosilicatesalt of fluosilicic acidglutamatea salt or ester of glutamic acidhalidea salt of any halogen acidisocyanatea salt or ester of isocyanic acidcalcium chloridea deliquescent salt; used in de-icing and as a drying agentmanganatea salt of manganic acid containing manganese as its anionchrome aluma violet-colored salt used in hide tanning and as a mordant in dyeingtartratea salt or ester of tartaric acidoxalatea salt or ester of oxalic acidpermanganatea dark purple salt of permanganic acid; in water solution it is used as a disinfectant and antisepticpolyphosphatea salt or ester of polyphosphoric acidsalicylatea salt of salicylic acid (included in several commonly used drugs)double salta solution of two simple salts that forms a single substance on crystallizationbile salta salt of bile acid and a base; functions as an emulsifier of lipids and fatty acidscream of tartar, potassium bitartrate, potassium hydrogen tartrate, tartara salt used especially in baking powdersodium chloratea colorless salt (NaClO3) used as a weed killer and an antisepticmicrocosmic salta white salt present in urine and used to test for metal oxidessilicatea salt or ester derived from silicic acidsal soda, soda, soda ash, sodium carbonate, washing sodaa sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and papersodium carboxymethyl cellulosea gummy substance that is a sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose; used as a thickening or emulsifying agentsodium fluoridea colorless crystalline salt of sodium (NaF) used in fluoridation of water and to prevent tooth decaythiocyanatea salt of thiocyanic acid; formed when alkaline cyanides are fused with sulfurtungstatea salt of tungstic aciduratea salt of uric acidvanadatea salt or ester of vanadic acid; an anion containing pentavalent vanadiumxanthatea salt or ester of xanthic acidBayer, Empirin, St. Joseph, acetylsalicylic acid, aspirinthe acetylated derivative of salicylic acid; used as an analgesic anti-inflammatory drug (trade names Bayer, Empirin, and St. Joseph) usually taken in tablet form; used as an antipyretic; slows clotting of the blood by poisoning plateletsacetinany of three liquid acetates that are formed when acetic acid and glycerin are heated togetheralum, potash alum, potassium aluma white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the potassium double sulfate of aluminumalum, ammonia alum, ammonium aluma white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the ammonium double sulfate of aluminumgypsuma common white or colorless mineral (hydrated calcium sulphate) used to make cements and plasters (especially plaster of Paris)alkylbenzenesulfonatesulfonate of alkyl benzeneammonium carbamatea salt of carbamic acid that is used as a nitrogen fertilizerammonium carbonatea carbonate of ammonium; used in the manufacture of smelling salts and baking powder and ammonium compoundsbenzoate of soda, sodium benzoatea white crystalline salt used as a food preservative and antisepticbicarbonate, hydrogen carbonatea salt of carbonic acid (containing the anion HCO3) in which one hydrogen atom has been replaced; an acid carbonatebromideany of the salts of hydrobromic acid; formerly used as a sedative but now generally replaced by safer drugscalcium hypochloriteany hypochlorite of calcium; used as a bleaching agentcalcium phosphatea phosphate of calcium; a main constituent of animal bonesfulminate of mercury, fulminating mercury, mercury fulminatea fulminate that when dry explodes violently if struck or heated; used in detonators and blasting caps and percussion capslead chromatea poisonous chromate of lead used as a pigment in paintcopper sulfate, copper sulphate, cupric sulfate, cupric sulphatea copper salt made by the action of sulfuric acid on copper oxidesodium cyanidea white poisonous salt (NaCN) used in electroplatingpotassium carbonatea white salt (K2CO3) that is basic in solution; used to make glass and cleansing agentspotassium cyanidea poisonous salt (KCN) used in electroplating and in photographyfluoridea chemical made of fluorine and sometimes another element, used to help prevent tooth decayiodidea salt or ester of hydriodic acidcalcium carbonatea salt found in nature as chalk or calcite or aragonite or limestoneEskalith, Lithane, Lithonate, lithium, lithium carbonatea white powder (LiCO3) used in manufacturing glass and ceramics and as a drug; the drug (trade names Lithane or Lithonate or Eskalith) is used to treat some forms of depression and manic episodes of manic-depressive disordermagnesium carbonatea very white crystalline salt that occurs naturally as magnesite or as dolomitemagnesium sulfatea salt of magnesiumbirch oil, methyl salicylate, sweet-birch oila liquid ester with a strong odor of wintergreen; applied externally for minor muscle and joint painantimony potassium tartrate, tartar emetica poisonous colorless salt used as a mordant and in medicinebitartratean acid tartrate; a hydrogen tartratelead acetate, sugar of leada poisonous white solid (Pb[CH3CO]2) used in dyeing cotton and in making enamels and varnishesplaster, plaster of Parisany of several gypsum cements; a white powder (a form of calcium sulphate) that forms a paste when mixed with water and hardens into a solid; used in making molds and sculptures and casts for broken limbspotassium ferrocyanide, yellow prussiate of potasha cyanide compound that is prepared by the reaction of potassium cyanide with ferrous salts; commonly used by gardenerspermanganate of potash, potassium permanganatea poisonous salt that forms dark purple crystals and is purple-red when dissolved in water; used as an oxidizing and bleaching agent and as a disinfectant and antisepticRochelle salt, Rochelle salts, potassium sodium tartratea double salt used in Seidlitz powder; acts as a catharticphenyl salicylate, salola white powder with a pleasant taste and odor; used to absorb light in sun tan lotions or as a preservative or an antiseptic or a coating for pills in which the medicine is intended for enteric releaseParis greena toxic double salt of copper arsenate and copper acetatechlorideany salt of hydrochloric acid (containing the chloride ion)sodium hypochloritean unstable salt (NaOCl) used as a bleaching agent and disinfectantSLS, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium lauryl sulphatea caustic detergent useful for removing grease; although commonly included in personal care items (shampoos and toothpastes etc.) it can irritate skin and should not be swallowedsodium sulfate, sodium sulphatea solid white bitter salt used in manufacturing glass and paper and dyes and pharmaceuticalssodium orthophosphate, sodium phosphatephosphate of sodium; used as a laxative to cleanse the bowelstetrahalideany halide containing four halogen atoms in its moleculesuranyl oxalatea salt obtained by the reaction of uranium salts with oxalic acidchalkstone, tophusa deposit of urates around a joint or in the external ear; diagnostic of advanced or chronic goutwhite vitriol, zinc sulfate, zinc sulphate, zinc vitriola colorless water-soluble powder; used as a mordant or to preserve wood or for the electrodeposition of zinctype of:chemical compound, compound(chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight
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the taste experience when common salt is taken into the mouthtype of:gustatory perception, gustatory sensation, taste, taste perception, taste sensationthe sensation that results when taste buds in the tongue and throat convey information about the chemical composition of a soluble stimulus
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add salt to
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preserve with salt
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sprinkle as if with salt
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add zest or liveliness to
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(of speech) painful or bitter“"salt scorn"- Shakespeare”“a salt apology”synonyms:sharpkeenly and painfully felt; as if caused by a sharp edge or point
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