Definition of "sodium chloride" [sodium chloride]

• A colorless or white crystalline compound, NaCl, used in the manufacture of chemicals and as a food preservative and seasoning. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "That parallel is not as tenuous as it sounds: Sodium fluoride is used to strengthen teeth, sodium chloride is table salt, and chlorine is a poisonous gas that was used by Germany in World War I."