The Twenty-One Gun Salute Began With Empty Guns
To salute is to greet with a formal gesture. The gun salute began as proof of harmlessness: a ship that fired everything had nothing left to fire.
To salute is to greet someone with a formal sign of respect. The naval gun salute started as a demonstration of trust: muzzle-loading cannon took minutes to reload, so a ship that emptied its guns on arrival was announcing that it could not attack. The courtesy survived the technology by three centuries.
- To greet formally. *He saluted the flag.*
- A military gesture. *Return the salute.*
- To honour or praise. *We salute their courage.*
- A ceremonial gun firing. *A nineteen-gun salute.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | salute | Salute the officer. |
| Past | saluted | She saluted smartly. |
| Noun | salute | A crisp salute. |
| Related | salutation | A warm salutation. |
| Related | salutary | A salutary lesson. |
- The guard saluted and stepped aside.The gesture.
- We salute everyone who worked through the strike.Figurative praise.
- The visit ended with a twenty-one gun salute.Ceremonial.
Words from the same Latin root
- Salute — to wish someone health
- Salutation — a greeting, as at the top of a letter
- Salutary — producing a good effect, often through discomfort
- Salubrious — healthy, of a place or climate
- Salvo — a simultaneous discharge, related through the same greeting sense
Latin *salutare*, to wish health to, from *salus*, health or safety. English has used it since the 1300s, and the military sense hardened in the 1600s.
Why twenty-one guns?
Odd numbers were used at sea, and twenty-one became the highest honour by convention in the nineteenth century. There is no single documented reason for that exact figure.
Is salute related to salad?
No. Salute comes from salus, health. Salad comes from sal, salt. Two different Latin words that happen to look alike.