The word 'salt-tolerant' is a compound of 'salt' and 'tolerant.' 'Salt' comes from Old English 'sealt,' meaning 'salt,' and 'tolerant' comes from Latin 'tolerare,' meaning 'to endure.'

'Salt-tolerant' was formed in modern English by combining 'salt' and 'tolerant' to describe organisms or materials that can withstand salty conditions.

Initially, it referred specifically to the ability to endure salt, and this meaning has remained consistent in modern usage.