Definitions

yān (verb) to pickle; to marinate; to cure (meat)

Etymology

Meat ⺼ left  in salt;  also provides the pronunciation

About

The character "腌" is structured with the meat radical "月" on the left and the phonetic component "奄" on the right, denoting its original association with preserving meat through salting. Etymologically, it emerged from practices of curing meats, and its meaning later broadened to include the preservation of other foods via methods like brining or pickling.