Standard Lemma guide

salivate

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsælɪveɪt/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈsæləveɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S AE1 L AH0 V EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To produce saliva.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To show eager anticipation at the expectation of something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, intransitive

Examples

  • He's been salivating over the latest model sports car for a while now.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

produce saliva

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • We salivated when he described the great meal

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: act involuntarily, act reflexively

Narrower terms: drivel, drool, slabber, slaver, slobber, dribble

4

verb

Meaning 4

be envious, desirous, eager for, or extremely happy about something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She was salivating over the raise she anticipated

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: drool

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: covet

History

Etymology

From Latin salivatus, past participle of salivare (“to spit out, also salivate”), from saliva (“spittle”).

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: թքարտադրել (tʻkʻartadrel) — to produce saliva
  • Bulgarian: отделям слюнка (otdeljam sljunka) — to produce saliva
  • Catalan: salivar — to produce saliva
  • Czech: slinit — to produce saliva
  • Dutch: kwijlen — to produce saliva
  • Esperanto: salivi — to produce saliva
  • French: saliver — to produce saliva
  • German: speicheln — to produce saliva
  • German: geifern — to produce saliva
  • German: sabbern — to produce saliva
  • Hungarian: nyáladzik — to produce saliva
  • Icelandic: slefa — to produce saliva
  • Italian: salivare — to produce saliva
  • Italian: sbavare — to produce saliva
  • Northern Kurdish: tif kirin — to produce saliva
  • Māori: koe — to produce saliva
  • Māori: mōwaiwai — to produce saliva
  • Polish: wydzielać ślinę — to produce saliva
  • Polish: ślinić się — to produce saliva
  • Portuguese: salivar — to produce saliva
  • Romanian: saliva — to produce saliva
  • Russian: вызыва́ть слюнотечение (vyzyvátʹ sljunotečenije) — to produce saliva
  • Russian: выделя́ть слюну (vydeljátʹ sljunu) — to produce saliva
  • Russian: слюня́вить (sljunjávitʹ) — to produce saliva
  • Russian: наслюня́вить (nasljunjávitʹ) — to produce saliva
  • Russian: заслюня́вить (zasljunjávitʹ) — to produce saliva
  • Spanish: salivar — to produce saliva
  • Spanish: ensalivar — to produce saliva
  • Swedish: salivera — to produce saliva
  • Swedish: dregla — to produce saliva
  • Walloon: gleter — to produce saliva
  • Walloon: blefer — to produce saliva
  • Bulgarian: точа се (toča se) — to show eager anticipation
  • Bulgarian: чакам с нетърпение (čakam s netǎrpenie) — to show eager anticipation
  • Dutch: watertanden — to show eager anticipation
  • French: saliver — to show eager anticipation
  • French: baver — to show eager anticipation
  • German: geifern — to show eager anticipation
  • German: keifen — to show eager anticipation
  • Italian: sbavare — to show eager anticipation
  • Polish: ślinić się — to show eager anticipation
  • Romanian: saliva — to show eager anticipation
  • Russian: истекать слюной (istekatʹ sljunoj) — to show eager anticipation
  • Swedish: dregla — to show eager anticipation