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savior

Etymology and origin of the English word savior

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈseɪvjə/ (UK); /ˈseɪvjɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English saveour, borrowed from Old French sauveour,[2][3][4][5][6] from Late Latin salvātor (“saver, preserver”),[2][3][4][5][6] from salvāre “to save”.[2][3][4][5][6] In Church Latin salvātor translated Greek sōtḗr “saviour”,[3][4] and in English the word replaced Old English hǣlend, literally “healer”.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who saves mankind from sin, a title of Jesus Christ; also one who delivers from peril (before 1300).[3][4]

Semantic evolution

In Late Latin and especially in English the word was used chiefly of Christ,[3][4] and in the New Testament of both Jesus and God.[4] The general sense, a person who rescues another from harm or danger, was present from the start.[4][2] The British spelling saviour has been kept even where other agent nouns in -our changed to -or, partly because of the conservatism of liturgy;[4] the Century Dictionary noted that some regarded savior as irreverent.[4]

Timeline

  • before 1300 – a title of Christ; a deliverer.[3][4]
  • c. 1300 – Middle English salvatour, Jesus Christ.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who saves, rescues or delivers others from harm, danger or loss.
  2. (Savior) Jesus Christ, or God, as the bringer of salvation.
  • Saviour
  • salvor
  • El Salvador
  • Salvador
  • Salvatore
  • save
  • salvation
  • salvage
  • rescuer

Usage notes

Savior is the usual American spelling and saviour the usual British one.[1][5]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Savior.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/savior. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·