Salam

Part of speech: noun, interjection

Definitions

1. A greeting often used among Muslims that signifies peace and goodwill towards others
2. A term of salutation that expresses the wish for safety and harmony in interpersonal interactions
3. A customary word conveying a blessing of tranquility and benevolence during greetings or farewells

Etymology: The Arabic "salām" means "peace," and it belongs to a family of words built on the root s-l-m, which also gives "Islam" and "muslim," both tied to the idea of submission and wholeness. English took it in as "salaam," a greeting that carries the same wish of peace that a traveller might hear in many parts of the Arab world. The surprising link is with Hebrew. "Shalom," the familiar Hebrew greeting, comes from the same ancient Semitic root, so the two words are doublets: separate borrowings that descend from a common source. Speakers of Hebrew and Arabic have been exchanging this wish of peace for millennia, and English ended up with both forms. In English the spelling "salam" is simply an alternative to "salaam," with the double vowel marking the long "a" of the Arabic original. Both forms point back to the same greeting and the same meaning of peace.

Synonyms: peace greeting, hello, salutation

Antonyms: farewell, goodbye