Etymologically
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salvo

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈsaɫ.woː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈsal.vo][1]

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

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