From the Latin salus, salubris - health.
Salacious vs. Salubrious
This nice-sounding word gave me a surprise as it means almost the opposite of what I thought. Before checking the meaning, I had thought it meant a place or person who was a bit 'dodgy' (for lack a better word) or a bit shady and generally unsuitable for younger viewers.
Having just written the above, I now realise I was thinking of the word 'salacious' - another excellent adjective which means: "having or conveying undue or indecent interest in sexual matters." It comes from the Latin salire - 'to leap', although I am not quite sure how the modern meaning comes from the action of leaping (perhaps I am not salacious enough to understand.)
Looks like my untidy mind has produced an interesting point of comparison and contrast: two similar words with opposite meanings. If I had to bet on one of them I think I would lean in favour of salacious but that's just the type of guy I am (cue salacious raise of eyebrow.) However, if given a choice of meaning, I think most people would propose to be in a salubrious environment as opposed to the alternative. Which is your favourite?
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