means A spicy sauce of tomatoes, chilies, and onions, or the lively Latin dance and music style of the same name.

from Straight from Spanish 'salsa,' meaning simply 'sauce,' which itself traces back to Latin 'salsa' — 'salted things,' the feminine of 'salsus' (salted), from 'sal,' salt. The same Latin root seasons English 'sauce' and 'salad.' The musical sense is a 20th-century flourish: 'salsa' as 'sauce' became slang for spice, flavor, and zest, and was applied to the hot fusion of Cuban and Puerto Rican rhythms taking shape in mid-century New York — music with sauce.