verb
salute
A formal gesture or expression of greeting, respect, or honour.
Where it comes from
Salute ordinarily means a formal gesture or expression of greeting, respect, or honour. Salute came through French from Latin salutare, to greet or pay respects. Salutare was based on salus, health, welfare, or safety, and a greeting made with that verb was literally a wish for another person's health. The wish spoken at a meeting broadened into any formal sign of greeting or respect.
How the meaning developed
By the late sixteenth century, ships and soldiers could salute ceremonially with flags or gunfire; the familiar hand-to-cap military gesture is documented much later.
Sources
Definitions adapted from Open English WordNet where applicable. License and attribution. Word-history text comes from Lexifour’s sourced social research; pages are assembled automatically, not individually fact-checked on every update.
Updated 2026-10-05. Report a correction.