salve
gb/sˈɑv/ us/sˈɑv/
B2
English
kenőcs, beken, enyhít, vigasz
NOUN
B2
1
kenőcs
B1
Usage pattern:
a salve for [a condition]
She dabbed a healing salve on the cut and covered it with a bandage.
Gyógykenőcsöt kent a vágásra, majd bekötötte.
This salve is meant for dry, cracked skin in winter.
Ez a kenőcs a télen kiszáradt, kirepedezett bőrre való.
Keep the salve in a cool place so it doesn’t melt.
Learner examples
I put salve on my hands.
Kenőcsöt kentem a kezemre.
This salve helps my dry skin.
Ez a kenőcs jót tesz a száraz bőrömnek.
Common mistake:
Often mispronounced as if the L is sounded; in modern English it is usually pronounced like “sav”.
Meaning
healing ointment for the skin
Collocations
healing salve
|herbal salve
|skin salve
|burn salve
|a salve for chapped lips
|apply salve
|rub in salve
|a jar of salve
|a soothing salve
|medicated salve
Synonyms
ointment (More common general word for a medicinal greasy cream.)
|
balm (Often suggests something soothing, sometimes scented or less medicinal.)
Antonyms
irritant (Something that makes skin feel worse rather than soothing it.)
Themes
health
|body
|medicine
|daily_life
Definition
a thick cream you put on your skin to help it heal
A soothing ointment or cream put on the skin to protect it or help it heal.
VERB
C1
2
beken
B1
Usage pattern:
salve [a body part/wound]
He gently salved the blister before putting on a sock.
Mielőtt zoknit húzott, finoman bekente kenőccsel a hólyagot.
The nurse salved the scrape and told him not to pick at it.
A nővér bekente kenőccsel a horzsolást, és azt mondta neki, hogy ne piszkálja.
Salve the area twice a day until it stops itching.
Learner examples
Salve the cut after you clean it.
Miután kitisztítottad, kend be a vágást kenőccsel.
Common mistake:
Learners often use "solve" by mistake in writing; the correct spelling for ointment is "salve".
Meaning
apply ointment to the skin
Collocations
salve a wound
|salve the burn
|salve the rash
|salve irritated skin
|salve the area
|carefully salve
|gently salve
Synonyms
anoint (More formal and often used in religious or ceremonial contexts.)
|
apply (More general; does not specifically imply ointment.)
Antonyms
wipe off (To remove something from the skin rather than putting it on.)
Themes
health
|body
|medicine
Definition
to put a healing cream on your skin
To rub or spread salve on a part of the body.
VERB
C1
FORMAL
3
enyhít
B2
Usage pattern:
salve [someone's feelings/ego/conscience] | salve [guilt/pain]
He tried to salve her disappointment with promises of a future trip.
Azzal próbálta enyhíteni a csalódottságát, hogy egy későbbi utat ígért neki.
No amount of praise could salve his guilt about what happened.
Semennyi dicséret sem enyhíthette a történtek miatti bűntudatát.
She made a joke to salve the tension in the room.
Learner examples
Sorry words can salve hurt feelings.
A bocsánatkérő szavak enyhíthetik a megbántott érzéseket.
Common mistake:
This meaning is figurative; it does not involve medicine or the skin.
Meaning
soothe pain or hurt feelings
Collocations
salve guilt
|salve his conscience
|salve her ego
|salve wounded pride
|salve the pain
|salve their fears
|salve hurt feelings
Synonyms
soothe (More common and less formal.)
|
ease (Often focuses on reducing intensity rather than fully comforting.)
Antonyms
aggravate (To make an unpleasant feeling or situation worse.)
|
inflame (To intensify anger or strong feelings.)
Themes
emotions
|relationships
|mental_health
Definition
to make someone feel less hurt or guilty
To reduce the intensity of someone’s pain, worry, guilt, or upset feelings; to make something feel less painful.
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
4
vigasz
B1
Usage pattern:
a salve for [pain/grief/guilt]
The apology was a small salve, even if it didn’t fix the damage.
A bocsánatkérés kis vigasz volt, még ha nem is hozta helyre a kárt.
Music became a salve for her anxiety during a stressful year.
Abban a stresszes évben a zene vigaszt jelentett számára a szorongása közepette.
For some people, shopping is a temporary salve for loneliness.
Learner examples
Talking to a friend can be a salve for stress.
Egy baráttal való beszélgetés vigaszt nyújthat stressz idején.
Common mistake:
This is a figurative use; it does not mean a physical cream.
Meaning
something that comforts emotionally
Collocations
a salve for grief
|a salve for the soul
|a salve for guilt
|a small salve
|a temporary salve
|offer a salve
|provide a salve
Synonyms
comfort (More general and much more common.)
|
consolation (Often suggests something that makes a loss easier to bear.)
Antonyms
torment (A source of ongoing mental suffering rather than relief.)
Themes
emotions
|society
|communication
Definition
something that makes sadness or guilt feel better
Something that makes emotional pain, disappointment, or guilt feel less intense.
Grammar
Dictionary form
salve
IPA
GB/sˈɑv/
US/sˈɑv/
Syllables & stress
salve (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (salve)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: salve
- Plural: salve, salves
Verb
- Base: salve
- 3rd Person Singular: salves
- Present Participle: salving
- Past: salved
Expressions
salve (your/someone's) conscience
1/sˈɑv jˈɔɹsˈoʊmˈoʊnz kˈɑnʃəns/
idiom
formal
reduce guilt about an action
to do something so you feel less guilty
Examples
- He donated a small amount to salve his conscience after the scandal.
- Buying a gift won’t salve your conscience if you don’t apologize.
- The company planted trees to salve its conscience about pollution.
Learner examples
- She volunteered to salve her conscience.