What does saluted mean?
Saluted is the past tense and past participle of salute, a verb meaning to greet someone formally or respectfully. Its best-known use refers to the military gesture of bringing the right hand to the forehead, although the word can also mean to acknowledge someone’s presence, achievement, or service. The expression is generally formal and often conveys ceremony, discipline, or respect. In nonmilitary contexts, saluting a person may sound old-fashioned, but figurative forms such as saluting someone’s contribution remain natural in reporting and public life. The word belongs to a family based on the Latin root associated with health and greeting, linking it to salutation, salutary, and salubrious. Understanding “saluted” as an inflected form of salute also clarifies its grammatical relationship to related expressions and helps distinguish the completed action from the base verb.
Greeted someone formally with a sign of respect, especially by raising the right hand to the forehead in military tradition.
"The officer saluted the captain before reporting for duty."
This sense is especially associated with military and ceremonial contexts.
Acknowledged or praised someone with an expression or gesture of respect.
"Critics saluted the director for turning the novel into an acclaimed stage production."
This figurative use is common in journalism and formal public discourse.
A salute began as a gesture of good wishes and good health, then became a precise military signal of respect.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does saluted come from?
The word belongs to the Latin root associated with health and greeting, from salutare, meaning to greet or wish health, which in turn derives from salus, meaning health or well-being. The English verb salute developed from this Latin source in the early modern period. Saluted is the regular past-tense and past-participle form in modern English. Related words include salutation and salutary, while Spanish salud, meaning health, reflects the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How saluted is actually used
The gesture is especially associated with military and official settings. In figurative use, the verb can imply respectful acknowledgment, though the wording may sound formal or ceremonious.
Easily confused with saluted
Salute is the base verb, while saluted is its past-tense and past-participle form.