Message: "Salem???" - Behind the Name

Salem???

by LL (guest)

1/28/2005, 6:12 PM

Does anyone know what the meaning of Salem is? Thanks :)

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- Chrisell +5

1/28/2005, 6:18 PM

Salem is a place name. There is a famous one in the US, but the name originally comes from Salem, India. www.answers.com had this to say about Salem:

Salem, city (1991 pop. 578,291), Tamil Nadu state, SE India. There are manufactures in chemicals, electrical products, tools, and brass goods; handloom weaving remains a significant industry. Iron and manganese mining are important in the surrounding region, as is agriculture. Salem has several colleges affiliated with Madras Univ.

:-)

- LL (guest) +4

1/28/2005, 6:39 PM

Thanks, but Salem must mean something?

- Miranda (Randee15) +3

1/28/2005, 6:40 PM

Yes

I've heard it Salem was a short form of Jerusalem, and that the city was named after the Biblical Jerusalem. I don't know what Jerusalem means though.

Miranda

- Chrisell

1/28/2005, 6:59 PM

Aha, in that case . . .

. . . Salem means "peace".

Jerusalem holy city in Palestine, from Gk. Hierousalem, from Heb. Yerushalayim, lit. "foundation of peace," from base of yarah "he threw, cast" + shalom "peace."

From here: http://www.etymonline.com/

edit - removed some irrelevant extra info from the definition.

This message was edited 1/28/2005, 7:01 PM

- Miss Claire +1

1/28/2005, 6:59 PM

Jerusalem comes from the Hebrew Yerushalayim. The Salem / Shalayim part has the sense "complete, whole, perfect, in peace".

Claire

- Ponglit (guest)

1/29/2005, 4:42 AM

Slightly ironic, considering what happened in the Salem witch trials!

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