*salt

*salt¹ salty

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs an adjective *salt "salty".^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *saltaz (“salty”),^[2][3] which Orel cites as *saltaz, Köbler as *salta-, *saltaz, and Heidermanns as *saltu-, a u-stem because of its etymology outside Germanic.^[3][4][5] Ringe and Taylor trace Proto-Northwest Germanic *saltaz to *sælt, West Saxon Old English sealt, Northumbrian salt, like the noun.^[2]

Morphology

An adjective.^[6][7] Heidermanns notes that it stands beside a reduplicating verb *salta- "to season".^[5]

Evidence

Heidermanns finds the adjective only in North Germanic and the North Sea Germanic languages, while the noun is common Germanic.^[5] He records it in Old English, of water, and in Old Frisian, but not in Old Saxon or Old High German, and in Dutch and Low German only from their middle periods, as Middle Dutch sout and Middle Low German solt.^[5] ONW has the Old Dutch adjective only in a place name, ⟨Saltanauua⟩, the Zoutenaaie near Veurne in West Flanders, in a record of 1104–1105.^[8] Wiktionary's Old High German *salz is only a reconstruction.^[1]

Meanings

1. salty^[1][5]

Heidermanns takes the word to be identical with Lithuanian saldùs (“sweet”), so that its basic meaning was "spicy".^[5]

Reflexes

• Old English: sealt (“salty”)^[6]
• Old Frisian: salt (“salty”)^[7]
• Old Dutch: salt (“salty”), only in a place name^[8]

*salt² salt

Etymology tree of *salt²

inherited borrowed derived

Proto-Germanic *saltą

Dutch zout

Proto-West Germanic *salt

Reconstruction

Wiktionary reconstructs a noun *salt "salt".^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *saltą (“salt”),^[2][9] which Kroonen cites as the neuter *salta- and Köbler as *salta-, *saltam.^[9][4] Ringe and Taylor trace Proto-Germanic *saltą through *sælt to West Saxon Old English sealt and Anglian salt.^[2]

Morphology

A neuter a-stem.^[10][11]

Evidence

The noun is found in all the West Germanic languages: Old English sealt, Old Frisian salt, Old Saxon salt and Old High German salz.^[9] Köbler records the Old Saxon word in the Heliand,^[10] and the Old High German one from the Benedictine Rule of the last quarter of the 8th century.^[12] ONW has the Old Dutch noun only as the first element of place names, such as ⟨saltbeki⟩, Zoutbeke in West Flanders, and dates its oldest record to 991–1000; it adds that in Old English the word is common in place names connected with salt-making.^[8]

Meanings

1. salt^[9][1]

Old English also used the word for "salt water".^[6]

Derivatives

• *saltastain "a block of salt, rock salt", which Wiktionary reconstructs as a compound with *stain.^[13]

Reflexes

• Old English: sealt (“salt, salt water”)^[6]
• Old Frisian: salt (“salt”)^[7]
• Old Saxon: salt (“salt”)^[14]
• Old Dutch: salt (“salt”), only in place names^[8]
• Old High German: salz (“salt”)^[11]