salmiak

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Swedish salmiak. Doublet of salmiac.

Noun

salmiak (uncountable)

1. (obsolete or non-native speakers) Synonym of ammonia
   • 1871, Samuel P. Sadtler, On the Iridium Compounds, page 9:

     We now wash and dry the black crystals of Iridium salmiak and proceed to make a preliminary investigation with them.

   • 2012, Torbern Bergman, Chemical Lectures of H.T. Scheffer, page 107:

     It is manufactured in Egypt from cattle dung, which is first used for fuel, after which the soot is collected and the Salmiak is separated by sublimation in a glass retort.

   • 2022, Jonas S.M. Madsen, Raimo Korhonen, Petri Peltonen, Olga Rodenko, Søren A. Jensen, Danish Fundamen, “Nanostructure Characterization and Film Thickness Measurements at the Fabrication Line”, in 2022 IEEE 12th International Conference:

     Salmiak structures reach a similar replication fidelity, but here the edge structures have reached a far better replication.

2. Ammonium chloride, used as a flavoring.
   • 2011 April 8, H S Brand, D L Gambon, A Paap, M S Bulthuis, E C I Veerman, A V Nieuw Amerongen, International Dental Journal:

     Yogurt-containing and salmiak (salty liquorice) flavoured lollipops have much higher pH values (3.8–4.7).

   • 2020 May 18, Mate Hidvegi, Michele Nichelatti, “BCG Vaccination Policy and Salmiak Consumption Are Inversely Associated with COVID-19 Death Rates in Europe”, in SSRN:

     We assumed the consumption of salmiak (ammonium chloride) containing foods as the common and peculiar cause of the reduced COVID-19-related death rates in these countries, because ammonium chloride is a known lysosomotropic agent which has been indicated to inhibit or prevent SARS-CoV infection.

   • 2023, Marscha Kanders, Beyond the dark: A strategic launch campaign in Germany:

     Salmari, a salmiak liquor, is sold and enjoyed in numerous bars, pubs, and homes in the Netherlands.

3. Licorice candy flavored with ammonium chloride.
   • 2015 September 23, Theo Hagman Rogowski, “Salty Licorice Is Beloved by Swedes and Reviled by Everyone Else”, in Vice‎^[1]:

     One of the most popular types of candy is salmiak, licorice flavored with ammonium chloride—a salty chemical compound resulting from the reaction between hydrochloric acid and ammonia.

   • 2016 December 7, Amanda Shapiro, “Black Licorice is Amazing and You Should Reconsider Not Liking It”, in bon appétit‎^[2]:

     I learned about salted licorice, a Nordic delicacy, and salmiak, an even saltier variety made with ammonium, which German health officials have deemed “not suitable for children.”

   • 2024, “Dutch Licorice Salmiak Rocks”, in Lolly Shop‎^[3]:

     Dutch Licorice Salmiak Rocks are classic Dutch sweets with a distinctive salty and tangy flavour.

4. A color pattern on some cats where the hairs are dark near the skin fading to white at the tips.
   • 2024 May 9, Heidi Anderson, Milla Salonen, Sari Toivola, Matthew Blades, Leslie A. Lyons, Oliver P. Forman, Marjo K. Hytönen, Hannes Lohi, “A new Finnish flavor of feline coat coloration, “salmiak,” is associated with a 95‐kb deletion downstream of the KIT gene”, in Animal Genetics:

     Whole-genome sequencing on two salmiak-colored cats was conducted to search for candidate causal variants in the KIT gene.

   • 2024 May 24, Robyn White, “New Cat Pattern Is 'Salty Licorice' Mutation”, in Newsweek:

     The salmiak pattern of white hairs is easiest to see in solid black cats, the study reported, but it can also appear in cats with other fur colors like in brown tabby, tortoiseshell, and blue cats.

   • 2024 May 16, Christa Lesté-Lasserre, “Genetic mutation gives cats a 'salty liquorice' coat colour”, in New Scientist:

     A kitten with the “salmiak” coat pattern, centre, and others from the same litter

Dutch

Etymology

Contraction of Latin sal ammoniacum.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: sal‧mi‧ak

Noun

salmiak m (plural salmiakken, diminutive salmiakje n)

1. ammonium chloride, sal ammoniac
2. a piece of liquorice with salmiak

Synonyms

• salmoniak

Derived terms

• salmiakdrop

Swedish

Noun

salmiak c

1. ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl)

Declension

Declension of salmiak

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	salmiak	salmiaks
	definite	salmiaken	salmiakens
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—