Meaning

noun an outburst resembling the discharge of firearms or the release of bombs

noun rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms

noun a sudden outburst of cheers

originAn alteration from 1719 of salva (“simultaneous discharge of guns”) (1591) from Latin salva (“salute, volley”) (compare French salve, also from Italian), from Latin salve (“hail”), the usual Roman greeting, imperative of salvere (“to be in good health”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0