Etymology Dictionary

SALT,  a well-known substance.  (E.)   M.E. salt, P. Plowman, B. xv. 423.—A.S. sealt, Grein, ii. 434. + Du. zout (with u for l). + Icel. salt. + Dan. and Swed. salt. + G. salz. + Goth. salt.   β. All from Teut. type SALTA, salt; Fick, iii. 321.   On comparing this with Lat. sal, salt, we see that the Teut. word is sal-ta, where -ta is the usual Aryan pp. suffix, of extreme antiquity; Schleicher, Compend. § 224.   Accordingly we find that A.S. sealt (E. salt) is also used as an adj., in the sense of 'salted' or 'full of salt,' as in sealt wæter = salt water; Grein ii. 434.   So also Icel. saltr, adj., salt; Du. zout, adj.; Dan. and Swed. salt, adj.   γ. Removing the suffix, we find cognate words in Lat. sal, salt, Gk. ἅλς, Russ. sole, W. hal, halen, Skt. sara, salt.   The Skt. sara means also the coagulum of curds or milk, lit. 'that which runs together,' from sri, to go.—✔SAR, to go, flow.   It is possible that salt was named from the 'water' from which it was obtained; but this brings us back to the same root.   ¶ Curtius says:  'the Goth. sal-t, extended by a t, corresponds to the Gk. theme ἁλατ, the dat. pl. of which is preserved in the proverb ἅλασιν ὕει; -ατ is to be taken here as an individualizing suffix, by the help of which "a piece of salt" is formed from "salt."'   I do not think this takes account of the adjectival use of the Teutonic word salt, nor of the fact that the E. adj. salt is represented in Lat. by sal-sus, clearly a pp. form.   Cf. W. hallt, salt, adj., from halen, salt, sb.   Der. salt-ly, salt-ness; salt-cellar, q.v.; salt, vb., salt-er, salt-ish, salt-less, salt-mine, salt-pan; salt-petre, q.v.   Also (from sal) sal-ine, sal-ary, sal-ad, sauce, sausage, salmagundi.