salt
Definitions
A white crystalline substance (sodium chloride) used to season and preserve food.
盐，食盐（氯化钠），用于给食物调味和保存。
To add salt to food, or to treat something with salt (e.g. to melt ice on roads).
给食物加盐；用盐处理某物（如撒盐融化路面的冰）。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedsalt is the Germanic form of the root, a direct cousin of Latin sāl. It needs no prefix — it is the bare word for the substance itself, the ancestor of the whole salty / saline / salary family.
Root sal still carries 9 more wordsWhy It Means This
Because salt preserved food and was once precious, it left a trail of idioms: 'take something with a pinch of salt' means treat it with mild skepticism; 'the salt of the earth' describes plain, dependable, good-hearted people; 'rub salt in the wound' means make a painful situation worse.
Common Collocations
- 1.salt and pepper盐和胡椒
- 2.a pinch of salt一小撮盐
- 3.sea salt海盐
- 4.salt intake盐的摄入量
- 5.table salt食用盐
Example Sentences
- 1.
Could you pass the salt? This soup needs a little more.
- 2.
She salted the pasta water before adding the noodles.
- 3.
The crews salt the roads whenever ice is forecast overnight.
- 4.
Take his promises with a pinch of salt — he often forgets them.