salvo

Forms

salvō (present infinitive salvāre, perfect active salvāvī, supine salvātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin salvus (“safe, sound”),^[2][3][1] a Late Latin verb that took the place of servō (“to save, keep”).^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first examples are in the medical writer Gargilius Martialis, for “make well, heal”,^[2][5][6] and in a letter of Cyprian, for “save”.^[5][6]

Semantic evolution

In Christian Latin it became the usual word for saving and redeeming: Lactantius, Jerome, the Vulgate and Sedulius use it so,^[4][2] and the Old Latin Bible has it intransitively, “be saved”.^[5] Augustine also uses it for “keep, preserve”.^[2][3][5] Through Old French sauver it gave English save about 1200;^[7][1] Catalan salvar is another descendant.^[1]

Timeline

• before 260 AD – Gargilius Martialis uses it for “heal”.^[2][5][6]
• beginning of 3rd century–258 AD – Cyprian uses it for “save” in a letter.^[5][6]
• c. 250–317 AD – Lactantius uses it in On the Anger of God.^[4][5][6]
• 354–430 AD – Augustine uses it for “keep, maintain”.^[2][5][6]
• c. 1200 – English saven “save” is borrowed from Old French sauver, from Late Latin salvare.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make well, heal.^[2][3][5]
2. (Ecclesiastical Latin) To save, redeem, rescue.^[4][2][8]
3. To keep, preserve, hold on to.^[2][3][8]
4. (intransitive) To be saved.^[5]

Word family

• salvātor
• salvātiō

Related words

• salūs
• English save

Usage notes

In Quintilian 12.10.44 the best manuscripts read salvant, which some editors change to servant.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
3. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
4. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson