Tuesday Wordplay: Salt

Salt is an essential mineral that used to have mystical associations in times past. Today the word salt serves many purposes. Though the mineral isn’t used as currency anymore and it is no longer believed (by most) to ward off evil, salt does have quite a profound impact on the language.

Origins of Various Economic-related terms states: “The Latin word salarium, meaning “salt allowance”, is the origin of the word salary. A necessary part of one’s diet, Roman soldiers were supposedly given an allowance to buy salt as part of their income. In time, this word applied more generally to one’s wages.”

The idiom “worth one’s salt” means deserving of one’s wages or salary. For example, “I couldn’t find a mechanic worth his salt.” Another fascinating spin on the word presented in Dictionary.com is, “to give an appearance of value to by fraudulent means for the purpose of deceiving.”

Salt is a magnificent word filled with complexity. Its vast range spans a basic element, a mystical force, a salary and a crystalline deception among other things.