Epsom salts
1
3.7
- noun
- /ˈɛpsəm sɔlts/
:
sales de Epsom
Examples
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Epsom salts and medicated bath salts can be wonderful for lower back pain.
Blog text (8) -
After a long workout, I always take a hot bath with Epsom salts to soothe my muscles.
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For a relaxing soak, add a cup of Epsom salts to your bathtub full of warm water.
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Using Epsom salts in the garden can help improve plant growth and health.
Synonyms
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3.6
A white salt you put in warm water to soothe sore muscles, relieve constipation, or feed plants
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4.7
A white salt used in medicine, baths, and as a fertilizer
A white salt taken by mouth to relieve heartburn and constipation and sometimes given by injection to prevent seizures
Surface Forms
Morphology
Epsom + salt
The compound clearly labels a type of 'salt' (so a learner who knows 'salt' can infer it is a chemical substance), but the element 'Epsom' is a proper name that does not by itself indicate the specific chemical (magnesium sulfate) or its medicinal/bathing uses. Because the phrase is partly compositional (a named salt) yet requires lexical/cultural knowledge to reach the full, specific meaning, it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Epsom salts gets its name from the town of Epsom in England, where people found bitter mineral water and dried it to make white crystals that were sold as a simple medicine. That's why Epsom salts are still used as small 'crystals' in 'baths' to 'soothe' sore muscles or taken as a mild 'laxative'.