αλάτι (Greek)

Where does "αλάτι" come from?

The Modern Greek word 'αλάτι', meaning table salt, traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*séh₂l-' or '*séh₂ls'[1][2]. In ancient times, this root yielded the Ancient Greek noun 'ἅλς'[1][2] and its related form 'ἅλας'[1]. Over time, speakers created the diminutive form 'ἁλάτιον' in Koine Greek[1]. This later developed into Byzantine Greek 'ἁλάτιν'[1] before dropping its final consonant to produce the modern noun used today.

Open questions

• The Proto-Indo-European root is an unattested proto-form reconstructed as '*séh₂l-' or '*séh₂ls'. [1] [2]

Full etymology tree

• αλάτι (Greek), 'common salt, table salt'
  • inherited ἁλάτιν (halátin) (Byzantine Greek)
    • inherited ἁλάτιον (halátion) (Koine Greek)
      • derived ἅλας (hálas) (Ancient Greek), 'accusative plural of ᾰ̔́λς (hắls)'
        • derived ἅλς (háls) (Ancient Greek), 'salt'
          • inherited *hā́ls (Proto-Hellenic), 'salt'
            • inherited *séh₂ls (Proto-Indo-European), 'salt'

Ancestors

• ἅλας (Ancient Greek)

Cognates and doublets

• άλας (Greek)
• алас (Mariupol Greek)

Descendants and derived words

• αλατιέρα (Greek)
• άλατα (Greek)
• αλαταποθήκη (Greek)
• αλαταριά (Greek)
• αλατένιος (Greek)
• αλατερός (Greek)
• αλατίζω (Greek)
• αλάτινος (Greek)
• αλάτισμα (Greek)
• αλατισμένος (Greek)
• αλατιστός (Greek)
• αλατίστρα (Greek)

Related words

• αλατιέρα (Greek)

Sources

1. αλάτι (Greek) - Wiktionary
2. ἅλς (háls) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris