salio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈsa.li.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈsaː.li.o]^[1]

Forms

saliō (present infinitive salīre, perfect active saluī); fourth conjugation, no supine stem^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *sal-je- (“to jump”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *sh₂l-ie/o- (“to jump”).^[2] The LIV derives it from *sl̥-yé- of the root *sel-, but de Vaan notes that *sl̥i̯- should have given *soli̯- in Latin, so the /a/ is not explained, and Wiktionary calls it uncertain.^[2][1]

Cognate with Ancient Greek ἅλλομαι (hállomai, “to jump”), Old Irish saltraid (“tramples”) and Sanskrit सिसर्षि (sisarṣi, “you flow”).^[2][3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus onwards,^[2][4] who says a man who falls in love perishes worse than if he leapt from a rock.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It meant to jump or leap, of people and animals, as Livy's leaping from the wall.^[3][5] Of the body it meant to throb or twitch, as Plautus' “my body shudders, my heart leaps”.^[3] Of water and other liquids it meant to spurt or gush, as Cato's wine spurting into a skin, and of male animals to mount.^[3]

In medieval music theory it was used of a melody leaping by an interval rather than moving by step.^[6] Its participle gave English salient (1560s), and French saillir gave sally.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of leaping and of a heart throbbing.^[3][4]
• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of wine spurting.^[3][4]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of animals mounting.^[3][4]
• 1550s – English sally comes from it through French.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To leap, jump, bound.^[3][1]
2. (of the body) To throb, twitch.^[3]
3. (of liquids) To spurt, gush.^[3][1]
4. (of male animals) To mount, cover.^[3][1]

Word family

• absiliō
• assiliō
• circumsiliō
• dēsiliō
• dissiliō
• exsiliō
• īnsiliō
• prōsiliō
• resiliō
• salāx
• salebra

Related words

• saltus
• English salient
• English sally

Usage notes

A different verb salio, salire, “to salt”, comes from sāl “salt”, and was also spelled sallio.^[3][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ Lexicon musicum Latinum medii aevi (1992–), Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften; online ed. Wörterbuchnetz
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com