*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of salsa

PIE word *sḗh₂l Borrowed from Spanish salsa (“sauce”), from Latin salsus (“salted”), whence also the doublet sauce (via Old French).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To dance the salsa.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

PIE word *sḗh₂l Borrowed from Spanish salsa (“sauce”), from Latin salsus (“salted”), whence also the doublet sauce (via Old French).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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        "3": "sḗh₂l",
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    },
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        "2": "sḗh₂l"
      },
      "expansion": "PIE word\n *sḗh₂l"
    },
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      "name": "bor+",
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        "2": "es",
        "3": "salsa",
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    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "salsus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "salted"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin salsus (“salted”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sauce",
        "notext": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "sauce"
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    ],
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  "references": [],
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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To dance the salsa."
      ],
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Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A spicy tomato sauce of Mexican origin, often including onions and hot peppers. · A style of urban music originally from New York heavily influenced by Cuban dance music, jazz and rock. · Any of several dances performed to salsa music.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

PIE word *sḗh₂l Borrowed from Spanish salsa (“sauce”), from Latin salsus (“salted”), whence also the doublet sauce (via Old French).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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    },
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        "4": "",
        "5": "salted"
      },
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    },
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        "2": "sauce",
        "notext": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "sauce"
    }
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    ],
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    ],
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    ],
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    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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    {
      "lang": "Mongolian",
      "lang_code": "mn",
      "word": "салса",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "salsa"
    }
  ],
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    {
      "pos": "noun",
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for salsa →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c2Fsc2E