Salvation

How to spell salvation

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce salvation

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does salvation mean?

1. nounThe act of being saved or delivered from harm, ruin, or destruction.

Salvation in a sentence

• The emergency loan proved to be the firm's only salvation from bankruptcy.

• Finding shelter before the storm meant salvation for the stranded hikers.

Where does salvation come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin salvare, meaning 'to save' or 'to make safe', which was itself built on salvus, the adjective for 'safe', 'sound', or 'unharmed'. From salvare came the late Latin noun salvatio, describing the act of saving or rescue, a term that early Christian writers used heavily for the soul's deliverance. English took the word in the 1200s through Old French salvacion, where it carried a strongly religious sense of being saved from sin. The same salvus root survives in everyday relatives such as 'salvage', 'safe', and even 'salute', all circling the idea of keeping something sound. The spelling keeps the Latin 'salv-' stem intact, so remembering 'salvage' helps anchor the 'salv' that some writers are tempted to slur into 'sav'.

How the word is built

• salv- (from salvare: to save)
• -ation (noun of action/result)