Where does “salve” come from?
Salve comes from Latin salvus, meaning "safe" or "whole," which also gave rise to the Latin verb salvare meaning "to save."
salve (English): An ointment, cream, or balm with soothing,...
Definitions
- An ointment, cream, or balm with soothing,...
Ancestry of “salve”, step by step
salve traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English salve
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | salve | Alternative form of sauf |
| 2 | Old English | sealf | salve |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | salbu | salve, ointment |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | salbō | salve, ointment |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | solp-éh₂ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | selp- | fat, oil |
via Latin salve
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | salve | hail!, hello!, welcome!; farewell! |
| 2 | Latin | salveo | I am well, healthy |
Words derived from “salve”