Salvare

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To rescue or save from harm or danger; to store or keep for future use or retrieval; to set aside or preserve something for protection or benefit
2. To deliver from peril or damage; to retain information or data in a secure manner; to reserve or protect an item or resource for later access
3. To protect or liberate from risk or loss; to back up or maintain a copy of data; to safeguard or withhold something for specific purposes

Etymology: The Latin verb "salvare" grows from the adjective "salvus," which meant "whole, unhurt, safe." Saving something, in this sense, meant restoring it to its complete condition. The same root gave Latin "salus," meaning health or well-being, and English words such as "salute" come from it. The Latin greeting "salve," literally "be well," belongs to the same family. English "whole," "hale," and "heal" are distant cousins from the same ancient base, so the connection between rescue and wholeness runs deep. English "save" came through Old French "sauver," which kept the Latin sense of making something safe. From there the idea spread to "salvage," the recovery of goods from a wreck, and "salvation," the rescue of the soul.

Synonyms: save, rescue, salvation, deliverance, redeem

Antonyms: lose, endanger, harm, destroy, ruin