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savior

or sav·iour

[seyv-yer]
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noun
  1. a person who saves, rescues, or delivers: the savior of the country.
  2. (initial capital letter) a title of God, especially of Christ.
  3. (initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. an epithet of Artemis.
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Origin of savior

1250–1300; Middle English saveour, sauveur < Old French sauvëour < Late Latin salvātor, equivalent to Latin salvā(re) to save1 + -tor -tor
Related formssav·ior·hood, sav·ior·ship, nounun·der·sav·ior, noun
Can be confusedsavior savor savory

Usage note

See -or1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for saviour

saviour

US savior

noun
  1. a person who rescues another person or a thing from danger or harm
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Word Origin

C13 saveour, from Old French, from Church Latin Salvātor the Saviour; see save 1

Saviour

US Savior

noun
  1. Christianity Jesus Christ regarded as the saviour of men from sin
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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

Word Origin and History for saviour

n.

chiefly British English spelling of savior (q.v.); for suffix, see -or.

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savior

n.

c.1300, "one who delivers or rescues from peril," also a title of Jesus Christ, from Old French sauveour, from Late Latin salvatorem (nominative salvator) "a saver, preserver" (cf. Spanish salvador, Italian salvatore), from salvatus, past participle of salvare "to save" (see save (v.)). In Christian sense, a translation of Greek soter "savior." Replaced Old English hælend, literally "healing," noun use of present participle of hælan (see heal).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper