Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “savior” come from?

Savior comes from Middle English saviour, from Old French sauveour, from Late Latin salvator, an agent noun from Latin salvāre meaning to save, derived from Latin salvus meaning safe or whole.

savior (English): A person who saves someone, rescues another from...

Definitions

  1. A person who saves someone, rescues another from...

Ancestry of “savior”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsaviour—
2Old Frenchsauveour—
3Late Latinsalvatorsaviour; second/third-person singular future...
4Latinsalvō—
5Latinsalvussafe, saved, preserved, sound, unharmed,...
6Proto-Italic*salawos—
7Proto-Indo-Europeansolh₂wós—
8Proto-Indo-Europeansōlh₂-mercy, comfort; comfort, mercy

Words derived from “savior”

  • Savior
  • saviorhood
  • saviorship
  • savioress
  • saviorism
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sōlh₂- →