# saliva
## English
### Etymology

A learned borrowing from Latin salīva (“spittle”), replacing or merging with Middle English salive, salve (“saliva”), from the same Latin source. Further origin uncertain. Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *salw-, *sal- (“dirt, dirty”), cognate with Old English salu (“dark, dusky”). More at sallow.

### Pronunciation

* enPR: sə-līʹ-və, IPA: /səˈlaɪvə/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Hyphenation: sa‧li‧va
* Rhymes: -aɪvə

### Noun

saliva (countable and uncountable, plural salivas or salivae or salivæ)
* (physiology) A clear, slightly alkaline liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands, consisting of water, mucin, protein, and enzymes. It moistens the mouth, lubricates ingested food, and begins the breakdown of starches.
    Synonyms: spit, spittle

#### Derived terms

* saliva ejector
* saliva gland
* salivary
* salivate
* saliva test
* sea saliva

#### Related terms

* salivation

#### See also

* drool
* sputum

### Anagrams

* Alavis, Avilas, Salvia, Slavia, Valais, avails, salvia

## Catalan
### Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin salīva. First attested in the 14th century.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central) [səˈli.βə]
* IPA: (Balearic) [səˈli.və]
* IPA: (Valencia) [saˈli.va]

#### Noun

saliva f (plural salives)
* saliva

##### Related terms

* salivar

#### References

* ↑ “saliva”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025

#### Further reading

* “saliva” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “saliva” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “saliva” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

saliva
* inflection of salivar:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

## Esperanto
### Etymology

From salivo +‎ -a.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [saˈliva]
* Rhymes: -iva
* Hyphenation: sa‧li‧va

### Adjective

saliva
* salivary

## French
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sa.li.va/
* Homophones: salivas, salivât

### Verb

saliva
* third-person singular past historic of saliver

### Anagrams

* lavais, valais, valsai

## Italian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /saˈli.va/
* Rhymes: -iva
* Hyphenation: sa‧lì‧va

### Etymology 1

From Latin salīva.

#### Alternative forms

* scialiva

#### Noun

saliva f (plural salive)
* (physiology) saliva, spittle, spit

##### Related terms

* salivare
* salivatorio
* salivazione

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

saliva
* inflection of salivare:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

### Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

saliva
* third-person singular imperfect indicative of salire

### Anagrams

* Salvia, lisava, salavi, salvai, salvia, vasali

## Latin
### Etymology

Unknown. Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *solH- (compare Irish salach (“dirty”), Welsh halog, English sallow, Russian соло́вый (solóvyj, “cream-colored”)). May alternatively be of independent expressive/onomatopoeic origin; compare Ancient Greek σίαλον (síalon).

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /saˈliː.u̯a/, [s̠äˈlʲiːu̯ä]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /saˈli.va/, [säˈliːvä]

### Noun

salīva f (genitive salīvae); first declension
* spittle, saliva

#### Declension

First-declension noun.

#### Derived terms

* salīvō

#### Descendants

* Catalan: saliva
* English: saliva
* French: salive
* Galician: seiva (archaic), saliva
* Italian: saliva, scialiva
* Occitan: saliva
* → Old Irish: saile
** Irish: seile
** Scottish Gaelic: seile
* Piedmontese: saliva
* Portuguese: saliva
* Romanian: salivă
* Sicilian: saliva
* Spanish: saliva
* Swedish: saliv

### References

* “saliva”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “saliva”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
* saliva in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
* “saliva”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
* ↑ Walde, Alois, Hofmann, Johann Baptist (1954) “saliva”, in Lateinisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), 3rd edition, volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, page 468

## Portuguese
### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /saˈli.vɐ/
* (Brazil) IPA: /saˈli.vɐ/
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /saˈli.va/
* (Portugal) IPA: /sɐˈli.vɐ/
* (Portugal) IPA: /sɐˈli.vɐ/
** (Northern Portugal) IPA: /sɐˈli.bɐ/ [sɐˈli.βɐ]
* Hyphenation: sa‧li‧va

### Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Latin salīva.

#### Noun

saliva f (plural salivas)
* saliva, spittle (liquid secreted into the mouth)

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

saliva
* inflection of salivar:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

## Romanian
### Etymology 1

Borrowed from French saliver, from Latin salivare.

#### Verb

a saliva (third-person singular present salivează, past participle salivat) 1st conjugation
* to salivate

##### Conjugation
### Etymology 2
#### Noun

saliva f
* definite nominative/accusative singular of salivă

## Spanish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /saˈliba/ [saˈli.β̞a]
* Audio (Venezuela):(file)
* Rhymes: -iba
* Syllabification: sa‧li‧va

### Etymology 1

From Latin salīva, probably borrowed.

#### Noun

saliva f (plural salivas)
* saliva, spittle

##### Derived terms

* tragar saliva

##### Related terms

* salivar

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

saliva
* inflection of salivar:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

### References

* ↑ Joan Coromines, José A[ntonio] Pascual (1983–1991) “saliva”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critic Castilian and Hispanic Etymological Dictionary] (in Spanish), Madrid: Gredos

### Further reading

* “saliva”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

### Anagrams

* salvia