Added 9 October 2026
salve
/sɑːv/ noun
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about salve at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation.
-
Anything that remedies or heals or soothes.
he needed a salve for his conscience
verb
Origin
From Middle English salve, from Old English sealf, from Proto-West Germanic *salbu, from Proto-Germanic *salbō, from Proto-Indo-European *solp-éh₂, from *selp- (“salve, ointment”). Cognates Cognate with Middle Low German salve (Danish salve, Dutch zalf), Old High German salba (German Salbe), Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌱𐍉𐌽𐍃 (salbōns), Albanian gjalpë (“butter”), Sanskrit सर्पिस् (sarpís), Ancient Greek ἔλπος (élpos).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)