SALT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does SALT mean? 

• SALT (noun)
  The noun SALT has 4 senses:

1. a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)

2. white crystalline form of especially sodium chloride used to season and preserve food

3. negotiations between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics opened in 1969 in Helsinki designed to limit both countries' stock of nuclear weapons

4. the taste experience when common salt is taken into the mouth

  Familiarity information: SALT used as a noun is uncommon.

• SALT (adjective)
  The adjective SALT has 1 sense:

1. (of speech) painful or bitter

  Familiarity information: SALT used as an adjective is very rare.

• SALT (verb)
  The verb SALT has 4 senses:

1. add salt to

2. sprinkle as if with salt

3. add zest or liveliness to

4. preserve with salt

  Familiarity information: SALT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SALT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("salt" is a kind of...):

chemical compound; compound ((chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "salt"):

cream of tartar; potassium bitartrate; potassium hydrogen tartrate; tartar (a salt used especially in baking powder)

calcium chloride (a deliquescent salt; used in de-icing and as a drying agent)

calcium sulfate; calcium sulphate (a white salt (CaSO4))

manganate (a salt of manganic acid containing manganese as its anion)

chrome alum (a violet-colored salt used in hide tanning and as a mordant in dyeing)

tartrate (a salt or ester of tartaric acid)

oxalacetate; oxaloacetate (a salt or ester of oxalacetic acid)

oxalate (a salt or ester of oxalic acid)

permanganate (a dark purple salt of permanganic acid; in water solution it is used as a disinfectant and antiseptic)

inorganic phosphate; orthophosphate; phosphate (a salt of phosphoric acid)

polyphosphate (a salt or ester of polyphosphoric acid)

acrylate; propenoate (a salt or ester of propenoic acid)

salicylate (a salt of salicylic acid (included in several commonly used drugs))

double salt (a solution of two simple salts that forms a single substance on crystallization)

bile salt (a salt of bile acid and a base; functions as an emulsifier of lipids and fatty acids)

Glauber's salt; Glauber's salts ((Na2SO4.10H2O) a colorless salt used as a cathartic)

isocyanate (a salt or ester of isocyanic acid)

sodium chlorate (a colorless salt (NaClO3) used as a weed killer and an antiseptic)

bichromate; dichromate (a salt of the hypothetical dichromic acid)

sodium bichromate; sodium dichromate (a red-orange salt used as a mordant)

microcosmic salt (a white salt present in urine and used to test for metal oxides)

silicate (a salt or ester derived from silicic acid)

sal soda; soda; soda ash; sodium carbonate; washing soda (a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper)

sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (a gummy substance that is a sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose; used as a thickening or emulsifying agent)

sodium fluoride (a colorless crystalline salt of sodium (NaF) used in fluoridation of water and to prevent tooth decay)

sulfate; sulphate (a salt or ester of sulphuric acid)

thiocyanate (a salt of thiocyanic acid; formed when alkaline cyanides are fused with sulfur)

tungstate (a salt of tungstic acid)

urate (a salt of uric acid)

vanadate (a salt or ester of vanadic acid; an anion containing pentavalent vanadium)

xanthate (a salt or ester of xanthic acid)

calcium octadecanoate; calcium stearate (an 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 water)

citrate (a salt or ester of citric acid)

arsenate (a salt or ester of arsenic acid)

chlorate (any salt of chloric acid)

dibasic salt (a salt derived by replacing two hydrogen atoms per molecule)

hypochlorite (any salt or ester of hypochlorous acid)

pyrophosphate (a salt or ester of pyrophosphoric acid)

sulfonate (a salt of sulphonic acid)

lactate (a salt or ester of lactic acid)

perchlorate (a salt of perchloric acid)

alkali (a mixture of soluble salts found in arid soils and some bodies of water; detrimental to agriculture)

ammonium chloride; sal ammoniac (a white salt used in dry cells)

benzoate (any salt or ester of benzoic acid)

borate (a salt or ester of boric acid)

borosilicate (a salt of boric and silicic acids)

calcium lactate (a 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 calcium)

acetate; ethanoate (a salt or ester of acetic acid)

carbamate (a salt (or ester) of carbamic acid)

carbonate (a salt or ester of carbonic acid (containing the anion CO3))

fulminate (a salt or ester of fulminic acid)

chromate (any salt or ester of chromic acid)

cyanide (an extremely poisonous salt of hydrocyanic acid)

potassium bromide (a white crystalline salt (KBr) used as a sedative and in photography)

potassium chlorate (a white salt (KClO3) used in matches, fireworks, and explosives; also used as a disinfectant and bleaching agent)

potassium dichromate (an orange-red salt used in making dyes and in photography)

ferricyanide (salt of ferricyanic acid obtained by oxidation of a ferrocyanide)

ferrocyanide (salt of ferrocyanic acid usually obtained by a reaction of a cyanide with iron sulphate)

fluoroboride (a salt of fluoroboric acid)

fluosilicate (salt of fluosilicic acid)

glutamate (a salt or ester of glutamic acid)

halide (a salt of any halogen acid)

Derivation:

salty (containing or filled with salt)

Sense 2

Meaning:

White crystalline form of especially sodium chloride used to season and preserve food

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

common salt; salt; table salt

Hypernyms ("salt" is a kind of...):

flavorer; flavoring; flavourer; flavouring; seasoner; seasoning (something added to food primarily for the savor it imparts)

Derivation:

salt (preserve with salt)

salt (add salt to)

salty (containing or filled with salt)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Negotiations between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics opened in 1969 in Helsinki designed to limit both countries' stock of nuclear weapons

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

SALT; Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

Instance hypernyms:

diplomacy; diplomatic negotiations (negotiation between nations)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The taste experience when common salt is taken into the mouth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

salinity; salt; saltiness

Hypernyms ("salt" is a kind of...):

gustatory perception; gustatory sensation; taste; taste perception; taste sensation (the sensation that results when taste buds in the tongue and throat convey information about the chemical composition of a soluble stimulus)

Derivation:

salt (preserve with salt)

salt (add salt to)

salty (one of the four basic taste sensations; like the taste of sea water)

• SALT (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(of speech) painful or bitter

Context example:

a salt apology

Similar:

sharp (keenly and painfully felt; as if caused by a sharp edge or point)

• SALT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they salt    ... he / she / it salts   
Past simple: salted   
Past participle: salted   
-ing form: salting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Add salt to

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "salt" is one way to...):

flavor; flavour; season (lend flavor to)

Domain category:

cookery; cooking; preparation (the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

salt (the taste experience when common salt is taken into the mouth)

salt (white crystalline form of especially sodium chloride used to season and preserve food)

salter (someone who uses salt to preserve meat or fish or other foods)

salting (the act of adding salt to food)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Sprinkle as if with salt

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

the rebels had salted the fields with mines and traps

Hypernyms (to "salt" is one way to...):

splash; splosh; sprinkle (cause (a liquid) to spatter about, especially with force)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP
Somebody ----s something with something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Add zest or liveliness to

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

She salts her lectures with jokes

Hypernyms (to "salt" is one way to...):

spice; spice up (make more interesting or flavorful)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Preserve with salt

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

people used to salt meats on ships

Hypernyms (to "salt" is one way to...):

keep; preserve (prevent (food) from rotting)

Domain category:

cookery; cooking; preparation (the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

The chefs salt the vegetables

Derivation:

salt (the taste experience when common salt is taken into the mouth)

salt (white crystalline form of especially sodium chloride used to season and preserve food)

salter (someone who uses salt to preserve meat or fish or other foods)

 Context examples 

Also, he has told me that the waters of this lake be salt, which is a strange thing and beyond understanding.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

The tricosasodium salt of a synthetic 24-mer oligonucleotide containing 3 CpG motifs with potential antineoplastic and immunostimulatory activity.

(Agatolimod Sodium, NCI Thesaurus)

The salt also triggers panic-like behaviors in susceptible rat strains.

(The Mechanism of Panic Attacks, NIH, US)

The Bank was just able to put salt upon his tail—and only just.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The malate salt of almotriptan, a sulfonamide triptan with vasoconstrictor activity.

(Almotriptan Malate, NCI Thesaurus)

The dipropionate salt form of alclometasone, a synthetic corticosteroid with low to medium potency.

(Alclometasone Dipropionate, NCI Thesaurus)

The hydrochloride salt of acodazole, a synthetic imidazoquinoline with antineoplastic activity.

(Acodazole Hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)

The sodium salt of acetazolamide, a nonbacteriostatic sulfonamide derivative with diuretic and anticonvulsant properties.

(Acetazolamide Sodium, NCI Thesaurus)

It tasted salt on his lips, and the taste was good.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

But Marleen stood looking on, and wept and wept, and her tears fell into the pot, so that there was no need of salt.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)