saliva n.

of the skin or complexion, "of a sickly color, discolored, yellowish," Middle English salu, from Old English salo "dusky, dark" (related to sol "dark, dirty"), from Proto-Germanic *salwa- (source also of Middle Dutch salu "discolored, dirty," Old High German salo "dirty gray," Old Norse sölr "dirty yellow"), from PIE root *sal- (2) "dirty, gray" (source also of Old Church Slavonic slavojocije "grayish-blue color," Russian solovoj "cream-colored"). Related: Sallowness.

1709, "secreting or containing saliva;" 1807, "of or pertaining to saliva;" from Latin salivarius, from saliva (see saliva).

1650s, transitive, "cause to produce an unusual or excess secretion of saliva" (implied in salivating); intransitive sense "produce an abnormally abundant flow of saliva" is from 1660s, from Latin salivatus, past participle of salivare, from saliva (see saliva). Figurative use in reference to anticipation is by 1951. Related: Salivated.