salve

Etymology 1

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).

noun

1. An ointment, cream, or balm with soothing, healing, or calming effects.
2. Any remedy or action that soothes or heals.

Etymology 2

From Old English sealfian, from Proto-West Germanic *salbōn, from Proto-Germanic *salbōną, from *salbō (whence salve (noun)).

verb

1. (transitive) To calm or assuage.
   She feels guilty for pampering him, and salves her conscience by bossily ordering him to go and fetch the clothes from the line[.] 1985, Joan Morrison, Share House Blues, Boolarong Publications, page 26
2. To heal by applications or medicaments; to apply salve to; to anoint.
3. To heal; to remedy; to cure; to make good.
4. (dated) To salvage.
   The interior woodwork was largely salved from the two cars, as well as the majority of the fittings and seats. 1942 March, “Notes and News: Repairing Blitzed Underground Cars”, in Railway Magazine, page 90

Etymology 3

From Latin salvō (“to save”).

verb

1. (obsolete, astronomy) To save (the appearances or the phenomena); to explain (a celestial phenomenon); to account for (the apparent motions of the celestial bodies).
2. (obsolete) To resolve (a difficulty); to refute (an objection); to harmonize (an apparent contradiction).
   He which should hold it more rational to make the whole Universe move, and thereby to salve the Earths mobility, is more unreasonable.... 1661, Thomas Salusbury, transl., Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems
3. (obsolete) To explain away; to mitigate; to excuse.

Etymology 4

From Latin salvē.

intj

1. Hail; a greeting.

Etymology 5

From the interjection salve.

verb

1. (transitive) To say “salve” to; to greet; to salute.