A flavorful seasoning or relish served as an accompaniment to food, especially a liquid dressing or topping for food.
Stewed fruit, usually served with other foods.
Something that adds zest, flavor, or piquancy.
Informal Impudent speech or behavior; impertinence or sauciness.
Slang Alcoholic liquor.
tr.v.
sauced, sauc·ing, sauc·es
To season or flavor with sauce.
To add piquancy or zest to.
Informal To be impertinent or impudent to.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *salsa, from Latin, feminine of salsus, past participle of sallere, to salt; see sal- in Indo-European roots.]
1350, from O.Fr. sauce, sausse, from noun use of L. salsa, fem. sing. or neut. pl. of salsus "salted," from pp. of Old L. sallere "to salt," from sal (gen. salis) "salt" (see salt). Meaning "something which adds piquancy to words or actions" is recorded from c.1500; sense of "impertinence" first recorded 1835 (see saucy, and cf. sass). Slang meaning "liquor" first attested 1940. Colloquial saucebox "one addicted to making saucy remarks" is from 1588.
Salt\, n. [AS. sealt; akin to OS. & OFries. salt, D. zout, G. salz, Icel., Sw., & Dan. salt, L. sal, Gr. ?, Russ. sole, Ir. & Gael. salann, W. halen, of unknown origin. Cf. Sal, Salad, Salary, Saline, Sauce, Sausage.]1. The chloride of sodium, a substance used for seasoning food, for the preservation of meat, etc. It is found native in the earth, and is also produced, by evaporation and crystallization, from sea water and other water impregnated with saline particles. 2. Hence, flavor; taste; savor; smack; seasoning. Though we are justices and doctors and churchmen . . . we have some salt of our youth in us. --Shak. 3. Hence, also, piquancy; wit; sense; as, Attic salt. 4. A dish for salt at table; a saltcellar. I out and bought some things; among others, a dozen of silver salts. --Pepys. 5. A sailor; -- usually qualified by old. [Colloq.] Around the door are generally to be seen, laughing and gossiping, clusters of old salts. --Hawthorne. 6. (Chem.) The neutral compound formed by the union of an acid and a base; thus, sulphuric acid and iron form the salt sulphate of iron or green vitriol. Note: Except in case of ammonium salts, accurately speaking, it is the acid radical which unites with the base or basic radical, with the elimination of hydrogen, of water, or of analogous compounds as side products. In the case of diacid and triacid bases, and of dibasic and tribasic acids, the mutual neutralization may vary in degree, producing respectively basic, neutral, or acid salts. See Phrases below. 7. Fig.: That which preserves from corruption or error; that which purifies; a corrective; an antiseptic; also, an allowance or deduction; as, his statements must be taken with a grain of salt. Ye are the salt of the earth. --Matt. v. 13. 8. pl. Any mineral salt used as an aperient or cathartic, especially Epsom salts, Rochelle salt, or Glauber's salt. 9. pl. Marshes flooded by the tide. [Prov. Eng.] Above the salt, Below the salt, phrases which have survived the old custom, in the houses of people of rank, of placing a large saltcellar near the middle of a long table, the places above which were assigned to the guests of distinction, and those below to dependents, inferiors, and poor relations. See Saltfoot. His fashion is not to take knowledge of him that is beneath him in clothes. He never drinks below the salt. --B. Jonson. Acid salt (Chem.) (a) A salt derived from an acid which has several replaceable hydrogen atoms which are only partially exchanged for metallic atoms or basic radicals; as, acid potassium sulphate is an acid salt. (b) A salt, whatever its constitution, which merely gives an acid reaction; thus, copper sulphate, which is composed of a strong acid united with a weak base, is an acid salt in this sense, though theoretically it is a neutral salt. Alkaline salt (Chem.), a salt which gives an alkaline reaction, as sodium carbonate. Amphid salt (Old Chem.), a salt of the oxy type, formerly regarded as composed of two oxides, an acid and a basic oxide. [Obsolescent] Basic salt (Chem.) (a) A salt which contains more of the basic constituent than is required to neutralize the acid. (b) An alkaline salt. Binary salt (Chem.), a salt of the oxy type conveniently regarded as composed of two ingredients (analogously to a haloid salt), viz., a metal and an acid radical. Double salt (Chem.), a salt regarded as formed by the union of two distinct salts, as common alum, potassium aluminium sulphate. See under Double. Epsom salts. See in the Vocabulary. Essential salt (Old Chem.), a salt obtained by crystallizing plant juices. Ethereal salt. (Chem.) See under Ethereal. Glauber's salt or salts. See in Vocabulary. Haloid salt (Chem.), a simple salt of a halogen acid, as sodium chloride. Microcosmic salt. (Chem.). See under Microcosmic. Neutral salt. (Chem.) (a) A salt in which the acid and base (in theory) neutralize each other. (b) A salt which gives a neutral reaction. Oxy salt (Chem.), a salt derived from an oxygen acid. Per salt (Old Chem.), a salt supposed to be derived from a peroxide base or analogous compound. [Obs.] Permanent salt, a salt which undergoes no change on exposure to the air. Proto salt (Chem.), a salt derived from a protoxide base or analogous compound. Rochelle salt. See under Rochelle. Salt of amber (Old Chem.), succinic acid. Salt of colcothar (Old Chem.), green vitriol, or sulphate of iron. Salt of hartshorn. (Old Chem.) (a) Sal ammoniac, or ammonium chloride. (b) Ammonium carbonate. Cf. Spirit of hartshorn, under Hartshorn. Salt of lemons. (Chem.) See Salt of sorrel, below. Salt of Saturn (Old Chem.), sugar of lead; lead acetate; -- the alchemical name of lead being Saturn. Salt of Seignette. Same as Rochelle salt. Salt of soda (Old Chem.), sodium carbonate. Salt of sorrel (Old Chem.), acid potassium oxalate, or potassium quadroxalate, used as a solvent for ink stains; -- so called because found in the sorrel, or Oxalis. Also sometimes inaccurately called salt of lemon. Salt of tartar (Old Chem.), potassium carbonate; -- so called because formerly made by heating cream of tartar, or potassium tartrate. [Obs.] Salt of Venus (Old Chem.), blue vitriol; copper sulphate; -- the alchemical name of copper being Venus. Salt of wisdom. See Alembroth. Sedative salt (Old Med. Chem.), boric acid. Sesqui salt (Chem.), a salt derived from a sesquioxide base or analogous compound. Spirit of salt. (Chem.) See under Spirit. Sulpho salt (Chem.), a salt analogous to an oxy salt, but containing sulphur in place of oxygen.
Sauce\, n. [F., fr. OF. sausse, LL. salsa, properly, salt pickle, fr. L. salsus salted, salt, p. p. of salire to salt, fr. sal salt. See Salt, and cf. Saucer, Souse pickle, Souse to plunge.]1. A composition of condiments and appetizing ingredients eaten with food as a relish; especially, a dressing for meat or fish or for puddings; as, mint sauce; sweet sauce, etc. "Poignant sauce." --Chaucer. High sauces and rich spices fetched from the Indies. --Sir S. Baker. 2. Any garden vegetables eaten with meat. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U.S.] --Forby. Bartlett. Roots, herbs, vine fruits, and salad flowers . . . they dish up various ways, and find them very delicious sauce to their meats, both roasted and boiled, fresh and salt. --Beverly. 3. Stewed or preserved fruit eaten with other food as a relish; as, apple sauce, cranberry sauce, etc. [U.S.] "Stewed apple sauce." --Mrs. Lincoln (Cook Book). 4. Sauciness; impertinence. [Low.] --Haliwell. To serve one the same sauce, to retaliate in the same kind. [Vulgar]
Sauce\ (s[add]s), v. t. [Cf. F. saucer.] [imp. & p. p. Sauced (s[add]st); p. pr. & vb. n. Saucing (s[add]"s[i^]ng).]1. To accompany with something intended to give a higher relish; to supply with appetizing condiments; to season; to flavor. 2. To cause to relish anything, as if with a sauce; to tickle or gratify, as the palate; to please; to stimulate; hence, to cover, mingle, or dress, as if with sauce; to make an application to. [R.] Earth, yield me roots; Who seeks for better of thee, sauce his palate With thy most operant poison! --Shak. 3. To make poignant; to give zest, flavor or interest to; to set off; to vary and render attractive. Then fell she to sauce her desires with threatenings. --Sir P. Sidney. Thou sayest his meat was sauced with thy upbraidings. --Shak. 4. To treat with bitter, pert, or tart language; to be impudent or saucy to. [Colloq. or Low] I'll sauce her with bitter words. --Shak.
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