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salvo

1
[ sal-voh ]
/ ˈsæl voʊ /
|
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noun, plural sal·vos, sal·voes.

a simultaneous or successive discharge of artillery, bombs, etc.
a round of fire given as a salute.
a round of cheers or applause.

RELATED WORDS

volley, barrage, bombardment, cannonade, gunfire, burst

Nearby words

  1. salvemini, gaetano,
  2. salver,
  3. salverform,
  4. salvia,
  5. salvific,
  6. salvor,
  7. salwar kameez,
  8. salween,
  9. salyut,
  10. salzburg

Origin of salvo

1
1585–95; earlier salva < Italian ≪ Latin salvē salve3

salvo

2
[ sal-voh ]
/ ˈsæl voʊ /

noun, plural sal·vos. Archaic.

an excuse or quibbling evasion.
something to save a person's reputation or soothe a person's feelings.

Origin of salvo

2
1635–45; < Latin salvō, ablative of salvus safe, found in legal phrases
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for salvo

British Dictionary definitions for salvo

salvo

1
/ (ˈsælvəʊ) /

noun plural -vos or -voes

a discharge of fire from weapons in unison, esp on a ceremonial occasion
concentrated fire from many weapons, as in a naval battle
an outburst, as of applause

Word Origin for salvo

C17: from Italian salva, from Old French salve, from Latin salvē! greetings! from salvēre to be in good health, from salvus safe

noun plural -vos rare

an excuse or evasion
an expedient to save a reputation or soothe hurt feelings
(in legal documents) a saving clause; reservation

Word Origin for salvo

C17: from such Medieval Latin phrases as salvō iurē the right of keeping safe, from Latin salvus safe

Salvo

/ (ˈsælvəʊ) /

noun plural -vos

Australian slang a member of the Salvation Army
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 salvo

salvo

n.

1719, alteration of salva (1590s) "simultaneous discharge of guns," from Italian salva "salute, volley" (cf. French salve, 16c., from Italian), from Latin salve "hail!," literally "be in good health!," the usual Roman greeting, regarded as imperative of salvere "to be in good health," but properly vocative of salvus "healthy" (see safe (adj.)). The notion is of important visitors greeted with a volley of gunfire into the air; applied afterward to any concentrated fire from guns.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper