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Glite Dictionary
common salt

common salt

1.0
A white crystal used to season and preserve food
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːmən sɔːlt/
translation icon : sal
  • To enhance the flavor of your dish, sprinkle some common salt on top before serving.

Examples

  • Provision of lumps of common salt in feeding troughs was a common practice at all three farms.

    Academic text (2015)

  • This commodity is not bread, nor opium either, but common salt; common, that is, almost anywhere but here.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Lumps of common salt (sodium chloride)

    Academic text (2014)

  • Many people use common salt to preserve foods by pickling vegetables.

  • When making a cake, be sure to add the right amount of common salt to balance the sweetness.

Synonyms

salt
vscommon salt
489 1.0

White crystals people put on food to make it taste stronger and help it last longer

is the concrete crystalline substance rather than primarily the taste
rock salt
vscommon salt
5 2.3

Large grains of salt from the ground used to melt ice or season food

is the ordinary refined crystalline product for seasoning and general use
table salt
vscommon salt
4 1.0

A white seasoning made from a common mineral to add flavor and keep food fresh

is the general household substance used in food and beyond
sodium chloride
vscommon salt
  • Specialized
3 2.3

White crystals that make food taste salty and are used in industry

is the ordinary everyday name used in homes rather than the technical term

Surface Forms

common salt singular
common salts plural

Morphology

common + salt

The meaning 'ordinary salt (sodium chloride)' follows directly from the adjective 'common' (ordinary) modifying 'salt' (the seasoning), so the overall sense is compositional. This adjective+noun pattern is routine and cross‑linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

Common salt got its name from everyday life: it meant the salt that was 'common' or ordinary for most people, the white salt used at the table and in simple tasks. So, common salt today means ordinary table salt used to season food and for everyday uses.