salūs
feminine
The English word 'health' is translated into Latin using salūs or sanitas.
Meaning: state of being free of physical or psychological disease, illness, or malfunction (noun)
Ways to say it
| Latin | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| salūs | feminine | |
| sanitas | [ˈsaː.nɪ.taːs] (Classical Latin, narrow) [ˈsaː.ni.tas] (narrow) |
feminine |
In Latin, different words are used to express various aspects of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness or malfunction.
Which one should you use?
While both terms can be translated as health, they have different connotations. salūs often refers to safety, preservation or the general well-being and salvation of a person or a state. In contrast, sanitas is more specifically focused on physical or mental soundness and the absence of disease, similar to the English concept of 'sanity'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both salūs and sanitas are feminine nouns.
Did you know?
- The term salūs is a cognate of the English word 'salute', as both originate from the act of wishing someone health.
- The word 'salvation' in English is a direct relative of the Latin salūs, reflecting the transition from 'physical health' to 'spiritual preservation'.
- The word salūs was used as a formal greeting and a wish for the recipient's well-being, similar to how we use 'hello' or 'cheers' today.
Examples in context
- Si corpus facis amoenum, hoc sanitas amoenitasque appellatur. Si mentem facis amoenam, hoc felicitas gaudiumque appellatur. Si emotiones facis amoenas, hoc amor compassioque appellatur. Si vitalitatem facis amoenam, hoc beatitudo ecstasisque appellatur.If you make your body very pleasant, we call this health and pleasure. If you make your mind very pleasant, we call this happiness and joy. If you make your emotions very pleasant, we call this love and compassion. If you make your life-energy very pleasant, we call this blissfulness and ecstasy.This sentence demonstrates how sanitas can be used to describe a body that is pleasant or healthy.Tatoeba #8813089 by RudeGuyGames, translation #7026489 by Adelpa
Example conversation
Gaius and Lucia are talking about their well-being.
- GaiusQuomodo vales, Lucia?How are you doing, Lucia?
- LuciaBene valeo, sed salūs mea fragilis est.I am well, but my health is fragile.
- GaiusVisne medicum adīre?Do you want to visit a doctor?
- LuciaIta, ut salūtem recuperem.Yes, so that I may recover my health.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “health” translations and entries sanitas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
