Where does “saviour” come from?
saviour (Middle English) comes from Old French sauveour, from Late Latin salvator, from Latin salvō, from Latin salvus, from Proto-Italic *salawos, from Proto-Indo-European solh₂wós, from Proto-Indo-European sōlh₂- — mercy, comfort; comfort, mercy.
Ancestry of “saviour”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | sauveour | — |
| 2 | Late Latin | salvator | saviour; second/third-person singular future... |
| 3 | Latin | salvō | to save (make safe or healthy) |
| 4 | Latin | salvus | safe, saved, preserved, sound, unharmed,... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | *salawos | whole |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | solh₂wós | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sōlh₂- | mercy, comfort; comfort, mercy |