salient [M16th] This was first used as a heraldic term meaning ‘leaping’. It comes from Latin salire ‘to leap’. The sense ‘outstanding, significant’ as in salient point is found from the mid 19th century. Salire is behind many other English words including assail and assault [ME] ‘jumping on’ people; exult [M16th] ‘jump up’; *insult; and result [LME] originally meaning ‘to jump back’. Salacious [M17th] ‘undue interest in sexual matters’ is based on Latin salax, from salire. Its basic sense is ‘fond of leaping’, but as the word was used of stud animals it came to mean ‘lustful’. From the French form of salire come to sally out [M16th] and sauté [E19th].