This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: Salvia Means what?

>From the book: _Dictionary of Word Origins: The Histories of More than 8000
English-Language Words_, John Ayto, Arcarde Publishing, New York, 1990.

Under the heading of "Safe"

Safe.  [13--meaning first recorded in the English language in the 13th C].
Like save, and indeed salvage and salvation, safe comes from Latin salvus
"uninjured."  It reached English via Old French sauf.  Salvus itself went
back to a prehistoric Indo-European *solwos "whole," which came from the
same base that produced English soldier, solemn, and solid.  The noun safe
"strongbox" [15th C] was orginally save, a derivative of the verb, but by
the late 17th C it had, under the influence of the adjective, become safe.
The plant-name sage [14th C] comes via Old French sauge from Latin salvia,
etymologically the "healing" plant, a derivative of salvus (English
acquired saliva itself in the 19th C).  --> sage, salute, salvage,
salvation, salvia, save, soldier, solemn, solid.

There is no entry for saliva, and the entry for safe says "see safe."

This doesn't completely answer the question, but I hope it is useful, or at
least interesting.

Cyndi
_______________________________________________________________________________
Oakland, California            Zone 9 USDA; Zone 16 Sunset Western Garden Guide
Disabled, chemically sensitive, wheelchair user          Organic Gardening only
_______________________________________________________________________________
"There's nothing wrong with me.  Maybe there's                     Cyndi Norman
something wrong with the universe." (ST:TNG)           cyndi@consultclarity.com
                                                  http://www.consultclarity.com
_________________________ Owner of the Immune Lists http://www.best.com/~immune
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index