Word: save Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *sl̥h₂-wós Proto-Italic *salawos Latin salvus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin salvō Latin salvāre Old French sauverbor. Middle English saven English save From Middle English saven, sauven, a borrowing from Old French sauver, from Late Latin salvāre (“to save”). Displaced native Old English nerian. Pronunciation: /seɪv/, /sæɪv/, /sev/, /seːv/ 1. To prevent harm or difficulty. Labels: transitive Example: She was saved from drowning by a passer-by. Example: We were able to save a few of our possessions from the house fire. 2. To prevent harm or difficulty. Labels: transitive Example: Thou hast[…]quitted all to save / A world from utter loss. Example: IF IT SAVES JUST ONE LIFE You often hear a new policy or procedure justified by the specious idea that "If it saves the life of just one (insert here 'child' or 'American soldier'), it will be worth it." Well, maybe not. Maybe a closer look would show that the cost in time, money or inconvenience would be much too high to justify merely saving one life. What's wrong with looking at it like that? Governments and corporations make those calculations all the time. 3. To prevent harm or difficulty. Labels: transitive Example: I'll save you / That labour, sir. All's now done. 4. To prevent harm or difficulty. Labels: transitive Example: Jesus Christ came to save sinners. 5. To prevent harm or difficulty. Labels: transitive Example: Chelsea's youngsters, who looked lively throughout, then combined for the second goal in the seventh minute. Romeu's shot was saved by Wolves goalkeeper Dorus de Vries but Piazon kept the ball alive and turned it back for an unmarked Bertrand to blast home. 6. To prevent harm or difficulty. Labels: transitive 7. To put aside; to avoid. Labels: transitive Example: Let's save the packaging in case we need to send the product back. 8. To put aside; to avoid. Labels: transitive Example: Save electricity by turning off the lights when you leave the room. Example: An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing (heavily crossed ‘to save notepaper’) and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’. 9. To put aside; to avoid. Labels: transitive Example: Will you not speak to save a lady's blush? 10. To put aside; to avoid. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: Where did I save that document? I can't find it on the desktop. Example: You can only save your current session at the Presidential Seals scattererd throughout the game. 11. To put aside; to avoid. Labels: intransitive 12. To put aside; to avoid. Labels: intransitive, transitive 13. To put aside; to avoid. Labels: archaic, slang, transitive Example: to save a fiver 14. To put aside; to avoid. Labels: often, reflexive Example: She told me she's saving herself for marriage. Example: Ryder: Come on—you two were intimate, right? Peebee: Take a wild guess. Why are people so hung up on sex? It's a natural expression of attraction. Peebee: We were doing exciting, daring, irreverent things. It stirs stuff up. Like shaking up a bottle of champagne, you know? Peebee: You should know, better than anyone... Peebee: I'm not the type to "save myself". 15. To put aside; to avoid. Labels: informal Example: Save your excuses and lies. Example: School days went by. I ran across Sly a couple a times, but I wasn't in no mood to talk. He could save all that philosophical bullshit he liked to holla. Didn't nobody need to tell me what was up.