Meanings
present singular third person salivates · participle present salivating · participle past salivated · past salivated
- figurativelyintransitiveTo show eager anticipation at the expectation of something.
He's been salivating over the latest model sports car for a while now.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo produce saliva.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinsalivatus
- Englishsalivate
From Latin salivatus, past participle of salivare (“to spit out, also salivate”), from saliva (“spittle”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian отделям слюнка, точа се
- отделям слюнка (otdeljam sljunka)to produce saliva
- точа се (toča se)to show eager anticipation
- чакам с нетърпение (čakam s netărpenie)to show eager anticipation
Catalan salivar
- salivarto produce saliva
Czech slinit
- slinitto produce saliva
Dutch kwijlen, watertanden
- kwijlento produce saliva
- watertandento show eager anticipation
Esperanto salivi
- salivito produce saliva
French saliver, saliver
- saliverto produce saliva
- saliverto show eager anticipation
- baverto show eager anticipation
German speicheln, geifern
- speichelnto produce saliva
- geifernto produce saliva
- sabbernto produce saliva
- geifernto show eager anticipation
- keifento show eager anticipation
Hungarian nyáladzik
- nyáladzikto produce saliva
Icelandic slefa
- slefato produce saliva
Italian salivare, sbavare
- salivareto produce saliva
- sbavareto produce saliva
- sbavareto show eager anticipation
Māori koe, mōwaiwai
- koeto produce saliva
- mōwaiwaito produce saliva
Polish wydzielać ślinę, ślinić się
- wydzielać ślinęto produce saliva
- ślinić sięto produce saliva
- ślinić sięto show eager anticipation
Portuguese salivar
- salivarto produce saliva
Romanian saliva, saliva
- salivato produce saliva
- salivato show eager anticipation
Russian вызыва́ть слюнотечение, выделя́ть слюну
- вызыва́ть слюнотечение (vyzyvátʹ sljunotečenije)to produce saliva
- выделя́ть слюну (vydeljátʹ sljunu)to produce saliva
- слюня́вить (sljunjávitʹ)to produce saliva
- наслюня́вить (nasljunjávitʹ)to produce saliva
- заслюня́вить (zasljunjávitʹ)to produce saliva
- истекать слюной (istekatʹ sljunoj)to show eager anticipation
Spanish salivar, ensalivar
- salivarto produce saliva
- ensalivarto produce saliva
Swedish salivera, dregla
- saliverato produce saliva
- dreglato produce saliva
- dreglato show eager anticipation
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
salivate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/salivate
“salivate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/salivate. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “salivate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/salivate.
Source: salivate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.