Salute Meaning
/səˈl(j)uːt/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn utterance or gesture expressing greeting or honor towards someone, (now especially) a formal, non-verbal gesture made with the arms or hands in any of various specific positions.
nounA kiss, offered in salutation.
Sentence Examples
The captain gave orders for a salute to be fired.
I salute your dedicated work.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The soldiers ____ their commanding officer every morning.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The soldiers raised their hands in a crisp ____ as the general walked past.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Latin salūtō (“to greet; to wish health to”), from salūs (“greeting, good health”), related to salvus (“safe”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The Roman salute, in which the right arm was raised in a straight and perpendicular manner, had been adopted by D'Annunzio during his regency in Fiume. Like other rituals utilized by D'Annunzio, the salute became part of the rising fascist movement's symbolic patrimony and was inherited by Mussolini's government."
— 1997, Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi, Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini's Italy, page 110:
"Like lines of perspective or the beams of searchlights at Nazi Party rallies that shone into the night sky where they met in an infinitely distant beyond, the arms and hands of those giving each other the Hitler salute forever approached each other but never joined."
— 2009, Tilman Allert, The Hitler Salute: On the Meaning of a Gesture, page 46:
"And Kaszaat let out a shriek of pure anger, bursting forwards suddenly, flinging her hand up towards Drephos as though in salute."
— 2010, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Salute the Dark: Shadows of the Apt 4, unnumbered page:
"The person who salutes is slavishly obedient, fearful to offend the authorities or other people; the person who declines to salute has integrity and independence."
— 2000, Eric A. Posner, Law and Social Norms, page 129:
"I salute every preaching and teaching woman with the courage to step out on faith and trust God with her life and her calling."
— 2000, Stephanie Barber, Reap the Harvest for Your Life, page vii:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The soldiers ____ their commanding officer every morning.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The soldiers raised their hands in a crisp ____ as the general walked past.