definitions

salvation

[ sal-vey-shuh n ]
/ sælˈveɪ ʃən /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR salvation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, destruction, etc.
the state of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc.
a source, cause, or means of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc.
Theology. deliverance from the power and penalty of sin; redemption.

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RELATED WORDS

redemption, pardon, liberation, restoration, deliverance, emancipation, reprieve, keeping, safekeeping, exemption, lifeline, preservation, conservancy, escape, release, conservation, extrication, sustentation

Nearby words

salvador, salvadorian, salvage, salvage archaeology, salvarsan, salvation, salvation army, salvation jane, salvationist, salvatore, salve

Origin of salvation

1175–1225; Middle English salvatio(u)n < Late Latin salvātiōn- (stem of salvātiō), equivalent to salvāt(us) (past participle of salvāre to save1; see -ate1) + -iōn- -ion; replacing Middle English sa(u)vaciun, sauvacion < Old French sauvacion < Late Latin, as above

Related forms

sal·va·tion·al, adjectivenon·sal·va·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for salvation

salvation

/ (sælˈveɪʃən) /

noun

the act of preserving or the state of being preserved from harm
a person or thing that is the means of preserving from harm
Christianity deliverance by redemption from the power of sin and from the penalties ensuing from it
Christian Science the realization that Life, Truth, and Love are supreme and that they can destroy such illusions as sin, death, etc

Derived Forms

salvational, adjective

Word Origin for salvation

C13: from Old French sauvacion, from Late Latin salvātiō, from Latin salvātus saved, from salvāre to save 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Culture definitions for salvation (1 of 2)

salvation

Being “saved” among Christians (see also Christian); salvation is freedom from the effects of the Fall of Man. This freedom comes through faith in Jesus, who is called in the New Testament “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” The Apostles taught that those who experience salvation in their lifetime on Earth and continue in their friendship with God will inherit eternal happiness in heaven.

Culture definitions for salvation (2 of 2)

salvation

In Christianity, union or friendship with God and deliverance from original sin (see also original sin) and damnation. Jesus promised salvation to his followers.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.