Lewis & Short

sălūs, ūtis (archaic gen. SALVTES, on a clay vessel, v. Ritschl de Fictilibus Litteratis, Berol, 1853, p. 18, n. 5; cf. APOLONES, from Apollo; dat. SALVTEI, Corp. Inscr. Lat. 587), f. [root sar, to guard, whence servus, servare, salvus, sollus; cf. Gr. ὅλος, entire], a being safe and sound; a sound or whole condition, health, welfare, prosperity, preservation, safety, deliverance, etc. (very freq. and class.: cf.: valetudo, sanitas).

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen.: Mars pater te precor, pastores pecuaque salva servassis duisque bonam salutem valetudinemque mihi domo familiaeque nostrae, an old form of prayer in Cato, R. R. 141, 3; cf. Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 27; so, too, the religious formula for asking protection: quod cum salute ejus fiat, and may it do him good, Ter. Ad. 4, 1, 3; and in the same sense: bonā salute, Cato, R. R. 4 fin.: adhuc quae assolent quaeque oportet Signa esse ad salutem, omnia huic (puero recens nato) esse video, Ter. And. 3, 2, 2: aegrorum salutem ab Aesculapio datam, Cic. N. D. 3, 38, 91: qui etiam medicis suis non ad salutem, sed ad necem utatur, id. Har. Resp. 16, 35: me confectum consularibus volneribus consulari medicinā ad salutem reduceret, id. Red. Quir. 6, 15: firmā potiri salute, Ov. H. 20, 179: salute nostrā atque urbe captā Domum reduco integrum omnem exercitum, in good health, well, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 9, 147: mater redit suā salute ac familiae maximā, in excellent health, id. Merc. 4, 5, 9: salute nostrum socium, id. Men. 1, 2, 25: salute horiae, uninjured, id. Rud. 4, 2, 5: in optimorum consiliis posita est civitatium salus, Cic. Rep. 1, 34, 51; cf.: tu eris unus, in quo nitatur civitatis salus, id. ib. 6, 12, 12; 2, 23, 43: juris, libertatis, fortunarum suarum salus in istius damnatione consistit, id. Verr. 2, 2, 6, § 16: neque enim salus ulla rei publicae major reperiri potest, quam, etc., id. ib. 2, 1, 2, § 4; Plaut. As. 3, 3, 127: spem teneo, salutem amisi, id. Merc. 3, 4, 6 sq.; id. Capt. 3, 3, 3; cf.: cujus aures clausae veritati sunt, hujus salus desperanda est, Cic. Lael. 24, 90: nisi quae mihi in te’st, haud tibi est in me salus, a means of safety, help, assistance, Plaut. Ps. 1, 1, 69: fer amanti ero salutem, id. As. 3, 3, 82; cf.: cum opem indigentibus salutemque ferres, Cic. Fin. 2, 35, 118; id. Mur. 13, 28: dicet fortasse Dignitatis ἅλις: saluti, si me amas, consule, id. Att. 2, 19, 1: is est nimirum Soter, qui salutem dedit, has furnished safety, id. Verr. 2, 2, 63, § 154: dare salutem, liberare periculis, etc., id. de Or. 1, 8, 32: saluti quod tibi esse censeo, id consuadeo, Plaut. Merc. 1, 2, 35; so, saluti esse alicui, Cic. Rep. 1, 1, 1; id. de Or. 2, 49, 200 al.; for which: nosse omnia haec, salus est adulescentulis, Ter. Eun. 5, 4, 18: diffisus suae omniumque saluti, Caes. B. G. 6, 38: nec in fugā salus ulla ostendebatur, Liv. 30, 8: una est salus, id. 7, 35: una salus victis nullam sperare salutem, Verg. A. 2, 354; cf. id. ib. 5, 174; 6, 96; Ov. Tr. 3, 3, 4; 5, 7, 3; id. P. 3, 7, 23; 4, 14, 5; id. M. 3, 648; Luc. 2, 221.
      Freq. in Plaut. as a term of endearment, my life, my love: quid agis, mea salus? Plaut. Cas. 4, 3, 3: o salute meā salus salubrior, id. Cist. 3, 13; id. Bacch. 4, 8, 38; id. Poen. 1, 2, 153; 1, 2, 176; id. Rud. 3, 3, 17.
    2. B. In partic., a wish for one’s welfare (expressed by word of mouth or in writing), a greeting, salute, salutation: Ly. Charmidem Lysiteles salutat. Ca. Non ego sum salutis dignus? Ly. Immo salve Callicles, Plaut. Trin. 5, 2, 29: venienti des salutem atque osculum, id. Ep. 4, 2, 2: quin tu primum salutem reddis quam dedi? id. Bacch. 2, 3, 11: Sy. Responde, quod rogo. Ba. Eho, an non prius salutas? Sy. Nulla est mihi salus dataria, id. Ps. 4, 2, 13: Pe. Salva sis. Ph. Salutem accipio mihi et meis, id. Ep. 4, 1, 21: advenientem peregre herum suum Salva impertit salute servus Epidicus, id. Ep. 1, 2, 24; cf. Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 39; for which: impertit salutem plurimam et plenissimam, Lucil. ap. Non. 472, 16: Terentia impertit tibi multam salutem, Cic. Att. 2, 12, 3: salutem dicere alicui, Plaut. Capt. 2, 3, 29: multam, plurimam salutem dicere alicui, id. Curc. 3, 51; 3, 61: Cicero tibi salutem plurimam dicit, Cic. Fam. 14, 7, 3: tu Atticae salutem dices, id. Att. 14, 19, 6; and so at the beginning of a letter: salutem dicit Toxilo Timarchides Et familiae omni. Si valetis gaudeo, etc., Plaut. Pers. 4, 3, 32; usually abbreviated S. D. (salutem dicit), S. D. M. (salutem dicit multam), S. D. P. (salutem dicit plurimam), v. the superscriptions of Cicero’s letters. Freq., also, elliptically, without dicit: Anacharsis Hannoni salutem, Cic. Tusc. 5, 32, 90 (abbreviated, e. g. Cicero Attico S., v. the letters of Cicero and Pliny): Dionysio plurimam salutem, id. Att. 4, 18, 3: Atticae plurimam salutem, id. ib. 14, 20, 5: salutem reddere, to return a greeting, Plaut. Bacch. 2, 3, 11; Liv. 9, 6, 12; Tac. A. 4, 60: salutem mittere per aliquem, to send a greeting: mihi dulcis salus visa est per te missa ab illā, Cic. Att. 16, 3, 6; Ov. H. 4, 1; 16, 1.
      An unusual expression is, salutem dicere alicui, in the sense of to bid one farewell: ego vero multam salutem et foro dicam et curiae, vivamque tecum multum, etc., Cic. Fam. 7, 32, 2: salute acceptā redditāque, Liv. 7, 5: salute datā redditāque, id. 3, 26: salutem tibi ab sodali nuntio, I bring, deliver, Plaut. Bacch. 2, 2, 10; so, nuntiare salutem alicui, id. Curc. 4, 2, 38; id. Men. prol. 1; cf.: salutem verbis tuis mihi nuntiarat, Cic. Fam. 7, 14, 1: salutem tibi plurimam ascribit et Tulliola, deliciae nostrae, adds, joins in, id. Att. 1, 5, 9; 5, 20, 9.
      In a humorous equivoque: As. Salve. St. Satis mihi est tuae salutis, nihil moror, sat salveo; Aegrotare malim, quam esse tuā salute sanior, Plaut. Truc. 2, 2, 4 sq.; id. Ps. 1, 1, 41 sq.
    3. C. Salvation, deliverance from sin and its penalties (eccl. Lat.): verbum salutis, Vulg. Act. 13, 26; id. Rom. 10, 1; 13, 11.
  2. II. Salus, personified, a Roman divinity, whose temple stood on one of the summits of the Quirinalis (v. Salutaris): ego tibi nunc sum summus Juppiter, Idem ego sum Salus, Fortuna, etc., Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 84; id. As. 3, 3, 123; 3, 3, 137; id. Cist. 4, 2, 76; id. Merc. 5, 2, 26; Varr. L. L. 5, §§ 51 and 74 Müll.; Liv. 9, 43 fin.; 10, 1 fin.; 40, 37; Val. Max. 8, 14, 6: augurium Salutis (instituted for the welfare of the State), Cic. Div. 1, 47, 105; id. Leg. 2, 11, 28; Suet. Aug. 31; Tac. A. 12, 23.
    In a lusus verbb., alluding to the literal meaning of the name: nec Salus nobis saluti jam esse, si cupiat, potest, Plaut. Most. 2, 1, 4: at vos Salus servassit, id. Cist. 4, 2, 76: neque jam Salus servare, si volt, me potest, id. Capt. 3, 3, 14; Ter. Ad. 4, 7, 43; cf.: Salus ipsa virorum fortium innocentiam tueri non potest, Cic. Font. 6, 11, § 21.