Where does “salve” come from?
salve (Middle English) comes from Old English sealf, from Proto-West Germanic salbu, from Proto-Germanic salbō, from Proto-Indo-European solp-éh₂, from Proto-Indo-European selp- — fat, oil.
salve (Middle English): Alternative form of sauf
Ancestry of “salve”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | sealf | salve |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | salbu | salve, ointment |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | salbō | salve, ointment |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | solp-éh₂ | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | selp- | fat, oil |
Words derived from “salve”