| an individual or group considered as representative of the best or noblest elements of society. |
salt  (sôlt)  n.
salt awayTo put aside; save. salt outTo separate (a dissolved substance) by adding salt to the solution. Idiom(s): salt of the earthA person or group considered as the best or noblest part of society. Idiom(s): worth (one's) saltEfficient and capable. [Middle English, from Old English sealt; see sal- in Indo-European roots.] |
Basic, fundamental goodness; the phrase can be used to describe any simple, good person: “I like Mary: she's reliable, trustworthy, and straightforward; she's the salt of the Earth.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers, who are mainly fishermen and other simple people, “Ye are the salt of the Earth.”