Etymology
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saltire (n.)

also saltier, c. 1400, sautour, an ordinary that resembles a St. Andrew's Cross on a shield or flag, consisting of a bend dexter and a bend sinister crossing each other, from Old French sautoir, sautour, literally "stirrup," and directly from Medieval Latin saltarium, noun use of neuter of Latin saltatorius "pertaining to leaping," from salire "to leap" (see salient (adj.)). The connection between stirrups and the diagonal cross is said to be the two deltoid shapes that comprise the cross.

Entries linking to saltire

salient (adj.)

1560s, "leaping," a heraldic term, from Latin salientem (nominative saliens), present participle of salire "to leap," from a PIE root of uncertain form (source also of Sanskrit sisarsi, sisrate "to flow, run, hurry;"Greek hallesthai "to leap," Middle Irish saltraim "I trample," Middle Welsh sathar "trampling").

The meaning "pointing outward" (preserved in military usage) is from 1680s; that of "prominent, striking" first recorded 1840, from salient point (1670s), which refers to the heart of an embryo, which seems to leap, and translates Latin punctum saliens, going back to Aristotle's writings. Hence, the "starting point" of anything.

updated on December 04, 2021

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Definitions of saltire from WordNet

saltire (n.)
a cross resembling the letter x, with diagonal bars of equal length;
Synonyms: St. Andrew's cross
Etymologies are not definitions. From wordnet.princeton.edu, not affiliated with etymonline.

Dictionary entries near saltire

salt-box

salt-cellar

salter

saltine

saltiness

saltire

saltish

salt-lick

salt-marsh

saltpeter

saltpetre

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