salsus

Latin

Etymology

Perfect passive participle of sallō (“to salt”), from earlier *saldō. The phonetic development is *sald-tos > *salssos.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈsal.sus/, [ˈs̠äɫ̪s̠ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈsal.sus/, [ˈsälsus]

Adjective

salsus (feminine salsa, neuter salsum, adverb salsē); first/second-declension adjective

1. salty, briny
2. (figuratively) sharp, witty

Participle

salsus (feminine salsa, neuter salsum); first/second-declension participle

1. perfect participle of sallō (“to salt”): salted (seasoned with or preserved in salt)

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	salsus	salsa	salsum		salsī	salsae	salsa
Genitive	salsī	salsae	salsī		salsōrum	salsārum	salsōrum
Dative	salsō		salsō		salsīs
Accusative	salsum	salsam	salsum		salsōs	salsās	salsa
Ablative	salsō	salsā	salsō		salsīs
Vocative	salse	salsa	salsum		salsī	salsae	salsa

Derived terms

• salsa
• salsicia, salsucia
• salsūgō
• īnsulsus

Descendants

• Asturian: salsa (“saline water”)
• Catalan: salsa
• French: sauce (see there for further descendants)
• Galician: salsa
• Italian: salso; salsa
• Occitan: salsa
• Portuguese: salsa (“parsley”)
• Sicilian: sarsa, sassa, sausa
• Spanish: salso; salsa (see there for further descendants)

Further reading

• “salsus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “salsus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• salsus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “salsus”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly