سلامتی

What it means

سلامتی (salâmati) means “health” or “well-being,” and doubles as the standard toast Iranians say when raising a glass: roughly “cheers!” Borrowed from Arabic (root s-l-m, “peace, soundness”), the same root that gives سلام (salâm) and اسلام (eslâm).

How to use it

• به سلامتی! (be salâmati!) “cheers!” (literally “to health!”)
• به سلامتی شما (be salâmati-ye shomâ) “to your health”
• سلامتی برای همه آرزو می‌کنم (salâmati barâye hame ârezu mikonam) “I wish health for everyone”

Common pairings

• به سلامتی دوستان (be salâmati-ye dustân) “to friends”
• به سلامتی پدر و مادر (be salâmati-ye pedar-o mâdar) “to parents”
• سلامت باشی (salâmat bâshi) “may you be in health” (related farewell phrase)

Cultural note

At a Tehrani dinner, glasses lift and someone calls به سلامتی!, often followed by a name (به سلامتی مادر, “to mother”) or a category (به سلامتی همه, “to everyone”). It works for tea, دوغ, juice, or wine. The word also stands alone as a noun: salâmati is the abstract idea of being healthy, what you wish for a sick friend.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab
• Wiktionary