Salvar

Salvar is a verb in Portuguese and Spanish with core meanings related to saving, rescuing, or preserving. In both languages it can refer to saving a life, rescuing someone from danger, or preserving something from harm. It is also used in everyday sense to save data, time, or resources, and in broader contexts to preserve memories or traditions.

Etymology and meaning. Salvar derives from the Latin salvare, from salvus “safe.” The cognate in English relates to salvage and salvation, and related forms appear in words such as salvación, salvador, and salvamento in the Romance languages.

Portuguese usage. In Portuguese, salvar covers rescuing people from danger (salvar alguém de um perigo), saving a life (salvar a vida), and saving objects or information (salvar o arquivo). It can also express saving time or money (economizar), and is used metaphorically to preserve traditions or memories (salvar o legado).

Spanish usage. In Spanish, salvar similarly means to save or rescue. It is used for saving a life or rescuing someone from danger (salvar a alguien de un peligro) and for religious contexts, such as saving souls (salvar almas). In computing, some regions use salvar to mean saving a file, though guardar is widely used as a general term for saving or storing data. The term can also denote preserving traditions or moral values (salvar las tradiciones).

See also. Related terms include salvación (salvation), salvador (savior), and salvamento (rescue). Distinctions with guardar, especially in computing, vary by dialect.