savior

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person who rescues someone from danger, harm, or serious difficulty

   The stranded hikers hailed the pilot as their savior.

2. 2
   noun

   in Christianity, Jesus Christ regarded as the redeemer of humanity

   The congregation sang a hymn praising Christ as the Savior.

3. 3
   noun

   a child conceived partly to provide compatible cells or tissue for a seriously ill sibling, used in the compound savior sibling

   The novel examines the ethical questions surrounding a savior sibling.

First recorded around 1300 as Middle English saveour, from Old French sauveor, ultimately from Late Latin salvator ("one who saves"), from salvare ("to save"). It displaced the native Old English haelend in this sense. Saviour is the usual British spelling; savior is standard in American English.

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