means A soothing ointment applied to wounds or sore skin, or more figuratively anything that eases pain, guilt, or hurt feelings.

from From Old English 'sealf,' an ointment or healing salve, descending from a Proto-Germanic root (compare Dutch 'zalf' and German 'Salbe'), all tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning oil or grease — fittingly, the very smear of fat you'd rub into a wound. The verb 'to salve,' to soothe or anoint, grew from the same source. It's distinct from the unrelated nautical 'salvage' and the Latin greeting 'salve' (hail!), which spring from entirely different roots despite the spelling.