Saviour

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who protects or delivers others from danger or harm ; a figure regarded as redeemer or deliverer in religious belief
2. Someone who rescues or helps others in distress ; a divine or messianic figure who brings salvation
3. An individual who provides rescue or protection ; a spiritual savior who redeems souls according to faith

Etymology: The word is the British and Canadian spelling of "savior", and its history begins with a striking displacement. Before the 1300s, English speakers had a native word, "hǣlend" (literally "healer" or "saviour"), that described Christ as the one who restores and makes whole. Middle English replaced it with a borrowing: "saveour", taken from Old French "sauveour". That French word descends from Late Latin "salvātor", meaning "deliverer" or "one who saves", formed from the verb "salvō", "to save". English therefore has two forms from the same source: "saviour" came through French, while "salvator" was taken directly from Latin, making the pair doublets. The spelling with "-iour" reflects the French ending, which English kept even as the Latin-based "savior" spelling became standard in American usage.

Synonyms: rescuer, deliverer, protector, guardian, champion

Antonyms: persecutor, oppressor, villain, enemy, adversary