vulcan salute
/ˌvʌl.kən səˈlut/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.14 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A gesture of greeting among Star Trek fans, consisting of a raised hand with the palm forward and the thumb extended, and the fingers parted between the middle finger and ring finger.
Example Sentences
- "Sarek turned to the others, now offering the Vulcan salute. "Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, may you live long and prosper." / "Thank you, and the same to you, Mr. Ambassador," said Kirk, managing to force his hand into the proper position."
- "Hang on: You are being beamed to one of those Star Trek conventions, where grownups greet each other with the Vulcan salute and offer in reverent tones to pay $100 for the autobiography of Leonard Nimoy."
- "[W]e found a stalwart model [of glove]: Kombi's Lobster, a high-tech marvel with a unique clawlike design. […] The split-finger design combines the warmth of a mitten with added dexterity, making it easier for riders to grip their boards. As a bonus, it also lets them give other riders the split-finger Vulcan salute, just like Mr. Spock on the original Star Trek."
- "For what would soon become known as the Vulcan salute, I borrowed a hand signal from Orthodox Judaism. During the High Holiday services, the Kohanim (who are the priests) bless those in attendance. As they do, they extend the palms of both hands over the congregation, with thumbs outstretched and the middle and ring fingers parted so that each hand forms two vees. This gesture symbolizes the Hebrew letter shin, the first letter in the word Shaddai; in the Jewish Qabala, shin also represents eternal Spirit."
- "They may exchange Vulcan salutes in greeting as a sign of in-group status—the in-group being Star Trek fans rather than Vulcans."
- "Ooh! The Vulcan Salute! It is easy! [She demonstrates the Vulcan Salute again.] Peace and long life. Y'all supposed to respond back to me with; "Live long and prosper.""
Etymology
From Vulcan (“inhabitant of the fictional planet Vulcan in the television series Star Trek”) + salute. The gesture was devised by the American actor Leonard Nimoy (1931–2015), who portrayed the half-Vulcan character Spock in the television series Star Trek (originally broadcast 1966–1969); he first used it in “Amok Time”, the first episode of the second season aired on September 15, 1967.
Word Breakdown
- Root: *solh₂-
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌvʌl.kən səˈlut/
- British English: /ˌvʌl.kən səˈl(j)uːt/
Inflected Forms
Frequently Paired Words
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