Salubrious

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Dr. Goodword
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Salubrious

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sun Sep 13, 2015 12:38 am

• salubrious •

Pronunciation: sê-lu-bri-ês • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: Healthy, healthful, wholesome, good for your health.

Notes: Today's Good Word is really good for you: anything that is salubrious makes you healthier and prolongs your life. Salubrious people, places, and things possess salubriousness, or, if you can't wait for a noun that long, simply say salubrity. There isn't much more that can be done with today's word.

In Play: Some places are considered more salubrious than others: "Raphael moved to the coast because he thinks the salt air more salubrious than the chemical mix in the air of Manhattan." He is probably right, though salt has little appeal to my lungs. It is the case, however, that other things may be salubrious: "After a meal that was as salubrious as it was delicious, the company repaired to the living room to watch slides."

Word History: Today's Good Word is a makeover of Latin salubris "health-giving, wholesome" from salus, salutis "health, sound condition". We find salus at the bottom of many borrowed words referring to health, such as salutation and salute, always accompanied by wishes of good health. Initial Ss in Proto-Indo-European words often became Hs in Greek, so the same root in Greek is found in holos "whole". Besides hologram, this word also sponsored catholic "all-inclusive", which came through Latin catholicus from Greek katholikos. Katholikos is a compound of kata "down, according to" + holos "the whole". (Today we thank James Stemwedel for suggesting today's mentally salubrious vocabulary item.)
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David Myer
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Re: Salubrious

Postby David Myer » Wed Sep 16, 2015 2:34 am

Well, well, well. This one was a real surprise. Healthy or wholesome - even in Australia and the Macquarie Dictionary here confirms that. But I have a lifetime using it occasionally, and always to mean sort of half way between comfortable and luxurious - salubrious accommodation, salubrious suburb. So I was wrong, all along! So this morning I ran it past my tertulia (that's a Spanish word meaning "a group of funny old men who get together for a coffee once a week"). The group contains some very learned people, a senior English teacher, a world famous copy-writer and other highly intelligent people most of whom take an interest in language. I asked what they understood the word to mean and they each came out with a definition along the lines of my (erroneous) understanding. Use of it to mean "almost luxurious" is manifestly very widespread at least here. I suspect also in UK. Surely, even if in error, once it becomes widespread, it ceases to be an error and instead becomes a new meaning? Do any of my American Goodword friends share this understanding of salubrious? Or UK for that matter? Ought our meaning to be acknowledged by dictionaries?

LukeJavan8
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Re: Salubrious

Postby LukeJavan8 » Wed Sep 16, 2015 11:53 am

I ask only two people whose opinions I respect, and they
both came up with something akin to "luxurious", so
you have some support. It is not a word used much
in this part of the country. I can't think of a time I've
ever seen it, except in a book.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

David Myer
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Re: Salubrious

Postby David Myer » Wed Sep 16, 2015 9:21 pm

Perhaps the world's English dictionaries need an update?

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call_copse
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Re: Salubrious

Postby call_copse » Thu Sep 17, 2015 6:49 am

I don't know if I would go with luxurious at least as far as UK usage goes. I would agree with the definition found here:

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/defin ... salubrious

Pleasant, not run down - that about covers it for me, as far as places go. Often used here in litotes for understated emphasis e.g. 'We met at a pub in a less than salubrious area.'

Also an entertaining Asterix character if you care for such things:
http://www.asterix.com/the-a-to-z-of-as ... brius.html
Iain

George Kovac

Re: Salubrious

Postby George Kovac » Fri Sep 18, 2015 10:16 am

and, as we Spanglish speaking Miamians would say in offering a toast to your health before drinking: ¡ salud !

Perry Lassiter
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Re: Salubrious

Postby Perry Lassiter » Sun Sep 20, 2015 12:32 pm

George, I've been meaning to say I love your quote at the bottom of your comments. I hope to memorize it…
pl

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Slava
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Re: Salubrious

Postby Slava » Mon May 02, 2016 3:11 pm

Not that I see them often enough for it to be a problem, but I feel salacious could be confused here. Especially given the common "less than salubrious" usage.
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