Salterns

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A site or facility where salt is produced through evaporation from seawater or saltwater sources
2. An establishment dedicated to harnessing the natural process of salt production by means of solar evaporation of saline water
3. A location specifically designed for extracting salt, typically by using the sun's heat to evaporate water from brine or seawater

Etymology: Salterns are the shallow ponds where seawater is left to evaporate in the sun until salt crystallises out, and the word is an old one in English. It is the plural of "saltern", which comes from Old English "sealtærn", built from "sealt" (salt) and "ærn", a word meaning "place" or "building". So the term is a plain compound of the kind English has always made: a salt-place, the building or spot where salt was produced. The second element survives today mainly in this word and in a few other place-names, which is why it looks unfamiliar. The compound records a practical reality: before refrigeration and modern preservation, salt was essential for keeping meat and fish, and the places where it was made were named for the work done there.