Etymologically
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saluto

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [saˈɫuː.toː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [saˈluː.to][1]

Forms

salūtō (present infinitive salūtāre, perfect active salūtāvī, supine salūtātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is formed from salūs (“health, safety; greeting”) with the verb suffix -ō: “to wish health to”.[2][3] De Vaan puts ⟨salūs⟩ with salvus (“safe, whole”), from Proto-Italic *salu- (“whole, healthy”) and Proto-Indo-European *slH-u- (“whole”); cognate with Oscan salavs (“safe, whole”) and Umbrian saluom (“safe, whole”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan's first author is Naevius.[4] In a fragment of his historical play the king of Veii greets the Alban king: rēx Vēiēns rēgem salūtat Vibe Albānum Amūlium.[2]

Semantic evolution

It is to greet or hail, also gods in worship (Plautus: “I'll just greet the gods”), places and things, and with a predicate to hail someone as something, as Octavian's followers called him Caesar (Cicero).[2] At Rome it is above all the morning call on a patron or great man to pay one's respects, and of the patron receiving such callers.[2] Statius uses it of saluting at parting.[2] Lewis and Short also record the sense of keeping safe or preserving, of vine shoots.[5]

Church Latin glosses it “salute, greet, keep safe, preserve”.[6] English salute (late 14th century) is from it, in part through Old French.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius of a king greeting a king.[4][2][7]
  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of greeting the gods.[2][7]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of the morning call on a consul.[2][7]
  • late 14th century – English salute.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To greet, hail, salute; to hail as.[2][1][6]
  2. To call on (a patron or great man) to pay one's respects, (of a patron) to receive callers.[2][1]
  3. To bid farewell to.[2][1]
  4. To keep safe, preserve.[5][1][6]

Word family

  • cōnsalūtō
  • īnsalūtātus
  • obsalūtō
  • persalūtō
  • resalūtō
  • salūtābundus
  • salūtātiō
  • salūtātīvus
  • salūtātor
  • salūtātōrius
  • salūtātrīx
  • salūtātōrium

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de