salad

Where does the word "salad" come from? It comes from Latin sal, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Salad’s story begins in Latin: sal meant “salt.” Salt, since early greens were dressed in a salted brine. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as salade. Carried into French for a dish of salted, dressed greens. It reached English by 1300s as salad. Settled as the English word for a dish of mixed raw vegetables. Today, salad means a dish of mixed vegetables, fruit, or other ingredients, often served cold.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient sal "salt", salt, since early greens were dressed in a salted brine.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval salade "a dish of salted greens", carried into French for a dish of salted, dressed greens.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s salad "a dish of mixed raw or cold vegetables", settled as the English word for a dish of mixed raw vegetables.