eyesalve

E1Y4E1S1A1L1V4E1

noun

An ointment for the eye.

OriginMiddle English eȝhe-salfe ← Old English ēagsealf ← Proto-West Germanic *augasalbā →
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Meanings

nouneyesalve (plural eyesalves)

plural eyesalves · alternative eye-salve · alternative eye salve

  1. An ointment for the eye.

    anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelations 3:17

Origin

  1. Proto-West Germanic*augasalbā“eye-salve”
  2. Old Englishēagsealf“eye-salve”
  3. Middle Englisheȝhe-salfe
  4. Englisheyesalve

From Middle English eȝhe-salfe, from Old English ēagsealf (“eye-salve”), from Proto-West Germanic *augasalbā (“eye-salve”), equivalent to eye + salve. Cognate with Dutch ogenzalf (“eyesalve”), German Augensalbe (“eyesalve”), Swedish ögonsalva (“eyesalve”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

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Cite this entry
APA

eyesalve. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eyesalve

MLA

“eyesalve.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eyesalve. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eyesalve,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eyesalve.

Source: eyesalve on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.