In the Book of Genesis, a disobedient woman whom God punished. God sent angels to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness, but chose to spare Lot and his family. The angels commanded them to flee without turning back to look at the destruction; Lot's wife did look back and was immediately changed into a pillar of salt.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.