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worth one's salt

salt
W w

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [sawlt]
    • /wɜrθ wʌnz sɔlt/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [sawlt]
    • /wɜrθ wʌnz sɔlt/

Definitions of worth one's salt words

  • noun worth one's salt a crystalline compound, sodium chloride, NaCl, occurring as a mineral, a constituent of seawater, etc., and used for seasoning food, as a preservative, etc. 1
  • noun worth one's salt table salt mixed with a particular herb or seasoning for which it is named: garlic salt; celery salt. 1
  • noun worth one's salt Chemistry. any of a class of compounds formed by the replacement of one or more hydrogen atoms of an acid with elements or groups, which are composed of anions and cations, and which usually ionize in solution; a product formed by the neutralization of an acid by a base. 1
  • noun worth one's salt salts, any of various salts used as purgatives, as Epsom salts. 1
  • noun worth one's salt an element that gives liveliness, piquancy, or pungency: Anecdotes are the salt of his narrative. 1
  • noun worth one's salt wit; pungency. 1
See all 27 definitions of worth one's salt

Information block about the term

Origin of worth one's salt

First appearance:

before 900
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; (noun and adj.) Middle English; Old English sealt; cognate with German Salz, Old Norse, Gothic salt; akin to Latin sāl, Greek háls (see halo-); (v.) Middle English salten, Old English s(e)altan; compare Old High German salzan, Old Norse salta, Dutch zouten; see salary

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Worth one's salt

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Worth one's salt

worth one's salt popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

See also

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