Etymologically
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salvator

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [saɫˈwaː.tɔr][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [salˈvaː.tor][1]

Forms

salvātor m (genitive salvātōris, feminine salvātrīx); third declension[1] A vulgar spelling salbātor is found in an inscription.[2]

Etymology

It is from Latin salvō (“to save”) + -tor, an agent noun.[2][3][4] The verb comes from salvus (“safe, unharmed”).[4][5] It was the Christian rendering of Ancient Greek σωτήρ (sōtḗr, “saviour”) and of the name of Jesus; the classical word was servātor.[6][2]

It is the source of Italian salvatore and Spanish salvador, and through Old French sauveour of English savior.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's earliest source is Lactantius,[4] and Georges also cites it from him;[2] in the Christian fathers it is above all the title of Christ, the Saviour.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

Outside Christian use it meant any saviour or preserver: Martianus Capella reports that Cicero would not render the Greek Sōtēr as salvator,[6] and an inscription is dedicated to Iovī Salvātōrī, “Jupiter the Saviour”.[6] The Vulgate uses it in Isaiah.[6]

Medieval Latin used it for a rescuer, for the Saviour in the formulas of charters and in the dedications of churches,[7] for one who held a protective right,[8] and in Britain for the salvagers of a wrecked ship's cargo.[7] English took the word from Old French about 1300.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–317 AD – Lactantius uses it.[4][2]
  • 390–406 AD – The Vulgate uses it in Isaiah.[6][4]
  • 5th century AD – Martianus Capella discusses it as a rendering of the Greek Sōtēr.[6][4]
  • c. 1300 – English borrows it from Old French as saveour.[5]
  • 1328 – An English court roll uses it for salvagers of a wreck.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A saviour, preserver, rescuer.[6][2][7]
  2. (Ecclesiastical Latin) The Saviour, Christ.[6][9][8]
  3. (Medieval Latin) One who exercises a protective right over others.[8]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A salvager of cargo from a wreck.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  3. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  9. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson