the.com/salute
A whole conversation about respect, packed into one crisp, wordless gesture.
means To greet, honor, or acknowledge someone with a formal gesture, word, or sign of respect.
from From Latin salutare, 'to greet, wish health to,' built on salus, salutis — 'health, safety, well-being.' So the original salute was literally a wish for someone's health (the same salus that survives in 'salutary' and 'salubrious'). It reached English through Old French saluer in the medieval period, and only later narrowed toward the stiff military hand-to-brow gesture we picture today.
- origin
- From Latin salus, meaning health and well-being
- open hand
- Likely showed you held no hidden weapon
- palm hidden
- US military turns the palm down, away
- gun salutes
- Odd numbers honor the living, even the dead
- 21 guns
- Highest honor, reserved for heads of state
roman salute — raised-arm greeting used in ancient rome and later adopted by fascist regimes in the 1920s-1940s
military salute — hand-to-forehead gesture standardized in armed forces worldwide, notably the british and us militaries