Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SALUTARY
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pronounce
SALUTARY:
Say it "SAL yuh tair ee."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
You might remember this from Charlotte's Web, when the spider, Charlotte, first meets the pig, Wilbur:
Charlotte goes on to explain that "Salutations!" is a greeting, her way of saying hello. But it always bugged me (yes, bugged) that she didn't say what it really meant. How is saying salutations different from saying hello? Besides being longer and fancier? What do those words mean? And if you drop a fancy word into conversation and someone asks you for its definition, shouldn't you be a responsible spider and give a comprehensive answer? What gives, Charlotte?
Alright, so, the word hello is related to holler and is basically a shout to get someone's attention, possibly tracing back to a French word literally meaning "ho there!" In contrast, the word salutations is related to salute, salvation, save, and safe and is basically a wish for someone's good health, tracing back to a Latin word meaning "to wish health to someone."
Hopefully, then, it all makes sense to you when you see the resemblance among words like salute, salutations, salutatorian, the Spanish toast Salud! ("To your health!") and the English adjective salutary ("healthy"), the word we're checking out today.
Something salutary is helpful, healthy, wholesome, good for the body, constructive for the mind, improving to the soul, like a brisk walk in the fresh autumn air, or a good friend telling it to you straight when you're wrong about something.
See if you can recall this opposite of salutary:
Something del______us is harmful: either harmful to the health, to the mind, or to the morals.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
In Latin, salus means "good health." That's where we got our English word "salutary," which we've used for hundreds of years.
It describes all kinds of things that are wholesome or helpful: good for your health, or less literally, good for your soul, your reputation, your education, or any other important aspect of your being.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "a salutary effect;" "The effect was salutary."
Other forms:
salutarily, salutariness, salutation(s)
how to use it:
"Salutary" is a formal, serious word that helps you call extra attention to the healthy, wholesome, beneficial value of something, especially when it's surprising. So, we often apply it to things like painful lessons and constructive criticism. If it hurts, but it helps, call it salutary.
Talk about the salutary effect or benefit of something: "Perhaps there are some salutary effects to be had by a cold shower, but, no thanks."
Or, talk about a salutary lesson or reminder: "The house fire was a salutary reminder to the rest of the neighborhood to never let food cook unattended."
Or, say that something is salutary for someone: "Cleaning out the garage is a pain, but it'll be salutary for us."
examples:
"A good number of the story elements here are shopworn, although a twist at the finale is salutary."
— Glenn Kenny, New York Times, 16 August 2018
"He received a letter charging him with every possible fault that a lecturer could commit—ungraceful stoop, awkwardness in use of hands, mumbling of words, or dropping them down the shirt front. The lesson was timely, and its effect salutary."
— Edward Clodd, Pioneers of Evolution from Thales to Huxley, 1897
has this page helped you understand "salutary"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "salutary" without saying "restorative" or "beneficial."
try it out:
In the New Yorker, David Cantwell described the work and legacy of an influential rock music critic as only somewhat salutary for society. This critic's work launched a lively industry of popular music criticism, bringing music's joy and intellectual value to a very large audience--a salutary effect. But it also fueled that industry with "snark," "condescension," and the belief that songs and albums are only worthy if they earn certain "letter grades or star ratings" from the critics--a not-so-salutary effect.
With all that in mind as an example, talk about something else that's been at least somewhat salutary for society, in your opinion. It might be a trend, a company or an organization, a product or a kind of technology, a government program or a Supreme Court ruling, or a television show or a series of books. What do you see as its salutary effects on society? And are there any not-so-salutary effects?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for September is Solve the Square!
It's inspired by Squareword, which is like Wordle but in 3D. In each issue this month, find the 5-letter word that completes the square, creating words both horizontally and vertically. For a bonus point, define the word you've supplied. For the answers, scroll all the way down. Enjoy!
Try this last one today:
F
A
S
T
S
A
T
T
I
C
K
O
A
L
A
_
_
_
_
_
R
E
E
D
Y
A hint: if you find a very common word, see if you can tweak a letter or two.
review this word:
A. SWEET and LUSCIOUS.
B. DAMAGING and POISONOUS.
C. PARTING and VALEDICTORY.
2.
Ever mindful of his metaphors, Jon Pareles wrote that the return of a certain band is "a welcome one now — an even more salutary _____ current mainstream electronic dance music."
A. antidote to
B. earthquake beneath
C. counterattack against
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.
From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
You might remember this from Charlotte's Web, when the spider, Charlotte, first meets the pig, Wilbur:
In Latin, salus means "good health." That's where we got our English word "salutary," which we've used for hundreds of years.
Part of speech:
"Salutary" is a formal, serious word that helps you call extra attention to the healthy, wholesome, beneficial value of something, especially when it's surprising. So, we often apply it to things like painful lessons and constructive criticism. If it hurts, but it helps, call it salutary.
"A good number of the story elements here are shopworn, although a twist at the finale is salutary."
Explain the meaning of "salutary" without saying "restorative" or "beneficial."
In the New Yorker, David Cantwell described the work and legacy of an influential rock music critic as only somewhat salutary for society. This critic's work launched a lively industry of popular music criticism, bringing music's joy and intellectual value to a very large audience--a salutary effect. But it also fueled that industry with "snark," "condescension," and the belief that songs and albums are only worthy if they earn certain "letter grades or star ratings" from the critics--a not-so-salutary effect.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |