bread and salt

5.2

A welcome gesture offering bread and salt to guests

noun

Literature

: pan y sal

Sharing bread and salt is an important tradition in many Eastern European countries.

Examples

They offered us bread and salt as a sign of hospitality.
In many cultures, bread and salt symbolize friendship.
At the ceremony, the hosts welcomed the visitors with bread and salt as a mark of respect.
They honored the guests by offering bread and salt when they arrived.
At the ceremony, the hosts welcomed the visitors with bread and salt as a mark of respect.
They honored the guests by offering bread and salt when they arrived.
Sharing bread and salt is an important tradition in many Eastern European countries.

Surface Forms

bread and salt singular

bread and salts plural

Morphology

bread + and + salt

The phrase literally names two common foods, but its use as a ceremonial symbol of hospitality is a culturally specific, non-compositional meaning that cannot be predicted from 'bread' + 'and' + 'salt' alone. While some language communities have a comparable bread-and-salt ritual, this cultural association is not a general semantic inference a B1 learner would make without prior exposure.

Etymology

Bread and salt comes from an old custom: hosts gave visitors bread and salt when they arrived to show they were welcome and safe. So, bread and salt means a warm 'welcome' or long 'friendship'.