definitions

salutation

[ sal-yuh-tey-shuh n ]
/ ˌsæl yəˈteɪ ʃən /
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noun

the act of saluting.
something uttered, written, or done by way of saluting.
a word or phrase serving as the prefatory greeting in a letter or speech, as Dear Sir in a letter or Ladies and Gentlemen in a speech.

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RELATED WORDS

toast, aloha, bow, hail, kiss, address, salaam, curtsy, hello, salute, howdy, obeisance, tribute, welcome, ave

Nearby words

saluresis, saluretic, salus, salus populi suprema lex esto, salutary, salutation, salutatorian, salutatorium, salutatory, salute, salutiferous

Origin of salutation

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin salūtātiōn- (stem of salūtātiō) greeting, equivalent to salūtāt(us) (past participle of salūtāre to greet; see salute, -ate1) + -iōn- -ion
Related formssal·u·ta·tion·al, adjectivesal·u·ta·tion·less, adjectivenon·sal·u·ta·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for salutations

British Dictionary definitions for salutations

salutation

/ (ˌsæljʊˈteɪʃən) /

noun

an act, phrase, gesture, etc, that serves as a greeting
a form of words used as an opening to a speech or letter, such as Dear Sir or Ladies and Gentlemen
the act of saluting

Word Origin for salutation

C14: from Latin salūtātiō, from salūtāre to greet; see salute
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for salutations

salutation

n.

late 14c., from Old French salutacion "greeting," from Latin salutationem (nominative salutatio) "a greeting, saluting," noun of action from past participle stem of salutare "to greet" (see salute (v.)). As a word of greeting (elliptical for "I offer salutation") it is recorded from 1530s. Related: Salutations.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper