Where does “salt beef” come from?

salt beef (English) comes from English beef, from Middle English bef, from Old French buef, from Latin bōs, from Ancient Greek βοῦς, from Latin corvus, from Proto-Italic korwos, from Proto-Indo-European ḱorh₂wós — army.

salt beef (English): Beef cured in salt

Definitions

  1. Beef cured in salt

Ancestry of “salt beef”, step by step

salt beef traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English beef

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbeefThe meat from a cow, bull, or other bovine; A...
2Middle Englishbefbeef; cow flesh or meat; A bovine or its carcass
3Old Frenchbuefcow
4Latinbōshead of cattle (cow, bull, steer, or ox)
5Ancient Greekβοῦςcow, ox, cattle; shield: ὃτι ἐκ βοείων ἐστι...
6LatincorvusA raven; a bird associated with prophecy and...
7Proto-Italickorwos
8Proto-Indo-Europeanḱorh₂wós
9Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
11Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army

via English Salt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSaltOS grid ref SJ9527
2LatinsaltusA leap, jump; a leaping; A forest or mountain...
3Latinsaliōto leap, jump, bound
4Latinsālsalt
5Proto-Italicsālssalt
6Proto-Indo-European*sḗh₂lsalt

via Middle English salt bef

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsalt bef
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker-