Savior

How to spell savior

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce savior

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does savior mean?

1. nounA person who rescues someone or something from danger, ruin, or harm.

Savior in a sentence

• The volunteer pilot became the savior of the stranded climbers.

• Investors hailed the new chief executive as the company's savior.

Where does savior come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Late Latin salvator, meaning 'one who saves' or 'rescuer', which was built on the verb salvare, 'to save or make safe', itself from salvus, meaning 'safe, whole, or unharmed'. Salvator was coined by early Christian writers to render the Greek soter, the title given to Jesus as a deliverer, and from there it passed into Old French as sauveour or salveour. English took it on in the 1300s, where it was used both in the religious sense and, more loosely, for anyone who delivers another from danger. The spelling has long wobbled between the older -our form and the streamlined -or form, and modern American usage settled firmly on savior while British and Canadian writing kept the French-flavoured saviour. The same salvare root survives in everyday relatives such as 'salvage', 'salvation', and 'safe', which is a handy reminder that the core idea is rescue.

How the word is built

• sav- (from Latin salvare, to save)
• -ior (agent suffix: one who does)

British and American spelling

Savior is the American spelling. British English spells it saviour.