Main Entry: ¹sal·vo

Pronunciation: \ˈsal-(ˌ)vō\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural salvos or salvoes

Etymology: Italian salva, from French salve, from Latin, hail!, from salvus healthy — more at safe

Date: 1591

1 a : a simultaneous discharge of two or more guns in military action or as a salute b : the release all at one time of a rack of bombs or rockets (as from an airplane) c : a series of shots by an artillery battery with each gun firing one round in turn after a prescribed interval d : the bombs or projectiles released in a salvo
2 : something suggestive of a salvo: as a : a sudden burst <a salvo of cheers> b : a spirited attack <the first salvo of a political campaign>