sāļš

From an earlier sālijs, still dialectally attested, from the same stem as sāls (“salt”) (q.v.).^[1]

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sāļš (definite sāļais, comparative sāļāks, superlative vissāļākais, adverb sāļi)

1. salty (having the taste typical of salt; containing salt, usually cooking salt)

   sāļš ēdiens ― salty food

   sāļa garša ― salty taste, flavor

   vēži ir sāļš, alus rūgts, tomēr garšo ― crayfish is salty, (and) beer (is) bitter, yet they are tasty

   prieka un bēdu asaras ir vienādi saļas ― tears of joy and sadness are equally salty

   aukstajā galdā vēl liek sāļos cepumus (siera cepumus vai sālsstandziņas) ― at the cold (food) table (they) still put the salty biscuits (cheese biscuts or pretzels)

   sāļās kūkas pasniedz kafijas galdā ― (they) are serving the salty cakes at the coffee table

2. salty (having the smell or taste typical of, e.g., seawater)

   sāļa smarža, smaka ― salty smell (e.g., of sea water)

   sāļa vēja smarža ― salty smell of the wind

   četros pēcpusdienā kapteiņa vecākais palīgs Šika pieņēma sardzi; viņš izgāja uz spārna, ieelpoja sāļo gaisu ― at 4 p.m. the captain's old helper Šika took the watch; he went on the wing (of the ship) (and) inhaled the salty air

3. (colloquial, of words; syn. sālīts) impolite, rude

   mazais vīriņš Rasa pēc katra sāļā joka salēcās un sarauca savu tuklo seju daudzās sīkās krunkās ― the little man Rasa after every salty (= rude) joke jumped and wrinkled his chubby face into many tiny wrinkles

• (of "impolite, rude"): sālīts

• sāļums

• sāls
• sālīt

• garša

• The basic tastes (pamatgaršas):
  salds - rūgts - skābs - sāļš