English

Noun

save ‎(plural saves)

1. In various sports, a block that prevents an opponent from scoring.

   The goaltender made a great save.

   • 2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC:

     Wolves defender Ronald Zubar was slightly closer with his shot on the turn as he forced Pepe Reina, on his 200th Premier League appearance, into a low save.

2. (baseball) When a relief pitcher comes into a game leading by 3 points (runs) or less, and his team wins while continually being ahead.

   Jones retired seven to earn the save.

3. (professional wrestling, slang) A point in a professional wrestling match when one or more wrestlers run to the ring to aid a fellow wrestler who is being beaten.

   The giant wrestler continued to beat down his smaller opponent, until several wrestlers ran in for the save.

4. (computing) The act, process, or result of saving data to a storage medium.

   If you're hit by a power cut, you'll lose all of your changes since your last save.

   The game console can store up to eight saves on a single cartridge.

5. (role-playing games) A saving throw.

Translations

Verb

save ‎(third-person singular simple present saves, present participle saving, simple past and past participle saved)

1. (transitive) To prevent harm or difficulty.
   1. To help (somebody) to survive, or rescue (somebody or something) from harm.

      She was saved from drowning by a passer-by.‎

      We were able to save a few of our possessions from the house fire.‎

      • 2014 June 14, “It's a gas”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8891:

        One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. Isolating a city’s effluent and shipping it away in underground sewers has probably saved more lives than any medical procedure except vaccination.

   2. To keep (something) safe; to safeguard.
      • John Milton (1608-1674)

        Thou hast […] quitted all to save / A world from utter loss.

   3. To spare (somebody) from effort, or from something undesirable.
      • William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

        I'll save you / That labour, sir. All's now done.

   4. (theology) To redeem or protect someone from eternal damnation.

      Jesus Christ came to save sinners.‎

   5. (sports) To catch or deflect (a shot at goal).
      • 2012, Chelsea 6-0 Wolves

        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.

2. To put aside, to avoid.
   1. (transitive) To store for future use.

      Let's save the packaging in case we need to send the product back.‎

   2. (transitive) To conserve or prevent the wasting of.

      Save electricity by turning off the lights when you leave the room.‎

      • 1977, Agatha Christie, An Autobiography, Part I, chapter4:

        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’.

   3. (transitive) To obviate or make unnecessary.
      • John Dryden (1631-1700)

        Will you not speak to save a lady's blush?

   4. (transitive, computing) To write a file to disk or other storage medium.

      Where did I save that document? I can't find it on the desktop.‎

   5. (intransitive) To economize or avoid waste.
   6. (transitive and intransitive) To accumulate money or valuables.

Usage notes

In computing sense “to write a file”, also used as phrasal verb save down informally. Compare other computing phrasal verbs such as print out and close out.

Derived terms

Translations

Preposition

save

1. Except; with the exception of.

   Only the parties may institute proceedings, save where the law shall provide otherwise.‎

   • 1914, Louis Joseph Vance, Nobody, chapter III:

     Turning back, then, toward the basement staircase, she began to grope her way through blinding darkness, but had taken only a few uncertain steps when, of a sudden, she stopped short and for a little stood like a stricken thing, quite motionless save that she quaked to her very marrow in the grasp of a great and enervating fear.

Synonyms

• (with the exception of): except

Translations

Conjunction

save

1. (dated) unless; except

Derived terms

• save vs.
• save as

Statistics

Anagrams

• vase

Bislama

Etymology

French savez ‎(“you know”) and English savvy have been suggested as origins, but Charpentier considers Portuguese sabe ‎(“know”), influenced by its Spanish cognate, more likely. Compare Tok Pisin save.

Verb

save

1. to know
2. to be able to

   mi no save kam : I can't come

   mi save toktok Francis : I can't speak French

References

• Claire Moyse-Faurie, Borrowings from Romance languages in Oceanic languages, in Aspects of Language Contact (2008, ISBN 3110206048)

Danish

Noun

save c

1. indefinite plural of sav

Northern Sami

Verb

save

1. inflection of savvit:
   1. present indicative connegative
   2. second-person singular imperative
   3. imperative connegative

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowing from English save.

Noun

save m (plural saves)

1. (informal, gaming) save file (of a video game or computer game)

   Eu cheguei mesmo na última fase, mas perdi meu save então terei que começar o jogo de novo.‎

   I did reach the final level, but I lost my save file so I'm gonna have to start the game over.

Quotations

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:save.

Tok Pisin

Etymology

Portuguese sabe ‎(“know”). Compare Bislama save.

Verb

save

1. (transitive) to know
2. (transitive) to understand
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 18:21 (translation here):

     Olsem na bai mi go daun na lukim pasin ol dispela manmeri i mekim. Na bai mi ken save, ol dispela tok mi harim pinis, em i tru o nogat.

3. (transitive) to make a practice or habit of
4. (transitive) to learn
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 3:22 (translation here):

     Bihain God, Bikpela i tok, “Man i save pinis long wanem samting i gutpela na wanem samting i nogut, na em i kamap wankain olsem yumi. Orait yumi no ken larim em i go klostu long dispela diwai bilong givim laip. Nogut em i kaikai pikinini bilong dispela diwai tu na em i stap oltaim.”

Derived terms

• luksave

Adverb

save

1. habitually
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 1:2 (translation here):

     Tasol graun i no bin i stap olsem yumi save lukim nau.

Noun

save

1. knowledge
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 2:9 (translation here):

     Na i gat narapela diwai tu i stap, em diwai bilong givim gutpela save long wanem samting i gutpela na wanem samting i nogut.