Etymograph

English

salt

Salt comes from Old English sealt ‘salt’, from Proto-Germanic *saltą ‘salt’, from Proto-Indo-European *sh₂eldóm, derived within Proto-Indo-European from *sḗh₂l ‘salt’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sḗh₂l‘salt’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*sh₂eldómreconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*saltą‘salt’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*salt‘salt’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150sealt‘common salt’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500salt
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1430same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sḗh₂l‘salt’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*sh₂eldómreconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*saltą‘salt’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*salt‘salt’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150sealt‘common salt’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500salt
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1430same form

Earliest quotation: 1430, Thomas Austin, Laud ms. 553: “Take gode almaunde mylke y-draw wyth wyn, an let…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *sḗh₂l

sauce, salary, cellar, sausage, salad, saline, salsa, halogen, sal, salami, salina, 32 more

Today it means

noun A common substance, chemically consisting mainly of sodium chloride (NaCl), used extensively as a food ingredient, seasoning, condiment, and preservative.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sḗh₂l / salt

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