The Spanish verb 'saltar' (to jump) comes from the Latin word 'saltare', meaning 'to dance'. 'Saltare' itself was derived from another Latin verb 'salire' meaning 'to leap'. In Latin, 'saltare' was what's called a frequentative form of 'salire', meaning it described repeated or habitual leaping actions - hence its development into the meaning of dancing, which involves repeated jumping or stepping movements. As the word evolved into Spanish, it retained the basic meaning of quick upward movement but became more focused on the specific action of jumping rather than dancing.

Several common Spanish words are related to 'saltar', including: 'salto' (jump/leap), 'asalto' (assault/attack - originally referring to jumping at someone), 'resaltar' (to stand out/highlight - literally to jump out again), and 'sobresaltar' (to startle - literally to jump over). All these words share the core meaning of sudden movement or jumping.

English has several words derived from the same Latin roots as 'saltar'. The word 'assault' comes from Latin 'assaltare', which combines 'ad-' (to) with 'saltare'. 'Somersault' combines 'super-' (over) with 'saltare'. Even the word 'salient' (meaning prominent or notable) comes from Latin 'salire', referring to something that 'leaps out' at you figuratively. The word 'sally' (as in 'to sally forth') also comes from 'salire', maintaining the sense of sudden movement.