I. sa ‧ lute 1 /səˈluːt/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: salutare , from salus 'health, safety, greeting' ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to move your right hand to your head, especially in order to show respect to an officer in the army, navy etc:
The two soldiers saluted Lieutenant Cecil.
The men jumped to their feet and saluted.
2 . [transitive] formal to praise someone for the things they have achieved, especially publicly
salute somebody as something
James Joyce was saluted as the greatest writer of the 20th century.
3 . [transitive] old-fashioned to greet someone in a polite way, especially by moving your hand or body
II. salute 2 BrE AmE noun
1 . [countable] an act of raising your right hand to your head as a sign of respect, usually done by a soldier to an officer:
As they left, the corporal gave them a respectful salute.
in salute
The officer raised his hand in salute.
2 . [uncountable and countable] something that expresses praise to someone for something they have achieved, or that expresses honour or respect to someone or something
in salute
Everyone at the table raised their glasses in salute.
salute to
His first words were a salute to the people of South Africa.
3 . [countable] an occasion when guns are fired into the air in order to show respect for someone important:
a 21-gun salute