This may help to further confuse the situation. I was a lousy Latin student but
I do recall that 'salve' means hello--as in the old English 'hale.' There's a
health implication to that friendly hello. To salve, or to use a salve (a balm)
isn't far off. Sage has medicinal properties (most herbs do, to sloppy minds)
and the quality of sagacity is obviously a balm to us all. There you go! Clear
as fog, I'd say.Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S10e, an AT&T 5G Evolution capable
smartphone
-------- Original message --------From: david ritchie <profdritchie@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: 11/27/20 9:19 AM (GMT-08:00) To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject:
[lit-ideas] Latin help Some of you have Latin. Perhaps you can help me towards
enlightenment. We wondered after lunch yesterday why sage the herb and sage
meaning wisdom are yoked together in English.Once you get past the pages of
varieties, here you’ll find an assertion that “sage” comes from the Latin,
salvere, for “save,” as in saving lives.
http://www.dweckdata.com/Published_papers/Salvia.pdfBut a different site here ;
says that sage the herb comes from Latin salvia/ salvus meaning healthy, whole,
well-kept.https://www.etymonline.com/word/sageBoth sites write as if that’s the ;
truth. Seems to one who doesn’t know Latin, that’s a bit of a difference.Sage
meaning wise supposedly comes from the Latin sapius or sapere, meaning to have
good taste.Adding to my confusion salvia offcinalis, says Wikipedia, has been
known by six different names since 1940. Is that wise?David Ritchie,Portland,
Oregon
