Meanings
salver1
plural salvers
- One who salves or cures.
- One who pretends to cure; a quacksalver.
salver2
plural salvers
- One who salves or saves goods, etc. from destruction or loss.
salver3
plural salvers
- A tray used to display or serve food or other items (such as a visiting card).First known use c. 1660
As athletes mount the podiums, volunteers dressed in Louis Vuitton-designed uniforms will bear the awards, presented on Louis Vuitton-made salvers featuring the house's signature brown check.
2024 July 20, Adrienne Klasa, “LVMH strikes Olympic gold”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 5
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
salver · noun
- Old English*sealfere“salver, one who anoints”
- Middle Englishsalver
- Englishsalver
From Middle English salver (attested only in the sense of "ointment box"), from Old English *sealfere (“salver, one who anoints”), equivalent to salve + -er. Cognate with Dutch zalver (“salver”), German Salber (“salver”).
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →salver · noun
- Proto-Indo-European*selp-
- Proto-Indo-European*solp-éh₂
- Proto-Germanic*salbō
- Proto-Germanic*salbōną
- Proto-West Germanic*salbōn
- Old Englishsealfian
- Middle Englishsalven
- Englishsalve
- Englishsalver
salver · noun
- Latinsalvō“save”
- Spanishsalva“a testing of food or drink to test for poison”
- Middle Englishsalver“serving platter”
- Englishsalver
From Middle English salver (“serving platter”), from Spanish salva (“a testing of food or drink to test for poison”), from salvar (“to save, taste food for one's master”), from Latin salvō (“save”, verb). More at save.
More words from Middle English, Spanish, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish tarjotin
- tarjotintray used to display or serve food
German Serviertablett, Präsentierteller
- Serviertabletttray used to display or serve food
- Präsentiertellertray used to display or serve food
Latvian paplāte
- paplātetray used to display or serve food
Polish taca do serwowania potraw i napojów
- taca do serwowania potraw i napojówtray used to display or serve food
Russian подно́с
- подно́с (podnós)tray used to display or serve food
Scottish Gaelic truinnsear
- truinnseartray used to display or serve food
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
salver. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/salver
“salver.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/salver. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “salver,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/salver.
Source: salver on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.