Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “salacious” come from?

Salacious derives from Latin salax, from Latin salio meaning to jump or leap, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ser- meaning to flow or rush.

salacious (English): Promoting sexual desire or lust; Lascivious,...

Definitions

  1. Promoting sexual desire or lust; Lascivious,...

Ancestry of “salacious”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinsalāx—
2Latin-āx—
3Latin-iumSuffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes...
4Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
5Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
6Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems

Words derived from “salacious”

  • salaciously
  • salaciousness
  • salacity
  • unsalacious
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →