salve: [OE] The central semantic element of modern English salve is ‘healing’, but its underlying etymological meaning is ‘oily substance’. It goes back to a prehistoric West Germanic *salbō, which had relatives in Greek élpos ‘oil’ and Sanskrit srpras ‘greasy’. The Germanic from has evolved into German salbe and Dutch zalf as well as English salve.
salve (n.)
Old English sealf "healing ointment," from West Germanic *salbo- "oily substance" (cognates: Old Saxon salba, Middle Dutch salve, Dutch zalf, Old High German salba, German salbe "ointment"), from PIE *solpa-, from root *selp- "fat, butter" (cognates: Greek elpos "fat, oil," Sanskrit sarpis "melted butter"). The figurative sense of "something to soothe wounded pride, etc." is from 1736.
salve (v.1)
Old English sealfian "anoint (a wound) with salve," from Proto-Germanic *salbojanan (cognates: Dutch zalven, German salben, Gothic salbon "to anoint"), from the root of salve (n.). Figurative use from c. 1200. Related: Salved; salving.
salve (v.2)
"to save from loss at sea," 1706, back-formation from salvage (n.) or salvable. Related: Salved; salving.
实用例句
1. After the feast she spent a week dieting to salve her conscience.
大吃了一顿之后,她花了一周时间节食以安慰自己.来自《简明英汉词典》
2. I give myself treats and justify them to salve my conscience.
我常犒劳自己一番，然后找个说辞让自已良心稍安。来自辞典例句
3. This is a salve containing menthol.
这是一种含有薄荷的药膏。来自辞典例句
4. Administer the salve to the sunburned area with a cotton swab.
