Etymograph

English

salvation

Salvation comes from Latin salvātiō ‘deliverance, salvation’, from salvō ‘to save’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- ‘whole’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*solh₂-1‘whole’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*salawos1‘whole’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsalvus1‘safe, saved, preserved, sound, unharmed, unscathed, unhurt, uninjured’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsalvō1‘to save’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsalvātiō1‘deliverance, salvation’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400salvacion1
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500savacioun1‘Religious salvation’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1964salvation1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English salvation
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1964, News and Comment: Minister hamstrings BR workshops: “If the Government believes that part of the railways'…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*solh₂-Wiktionary, English salvation‘whole’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*salawosWiktionary, English salvation‘whole’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsalvusWiktionary, English salvation‘safe, saved, preserved, sound, unharmed, unscathed, unhurt, uninjured’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsalvōWiktionary, English salvation‘to save’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsalvātiōWiktionary, English salvation‘deliverance, salvation’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400salvacionWiktionary, English salvation
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500savaciounWiktionary, English salvation‘Religious salvation’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1964salvationWiktionary, English salvation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1964, News and Comment: Minister hamstrings BR workshops: “If the Government believes that part of the railways'…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- ‘whole’

sold, solid, holocaust, sol, salute, xu, sou, salutary, salubrious, salutation, 30 more

through Proto-Italic *salawos ‘whole’

safety, 6 more

through Latin salvus ‘safe, saved, preserved, sound, unharmed,…’

safe, sage, salvia, 9 more

through Latin salvō ‘to save’

save, savior, salvo, salve, 4 more

Today it means

noun The process of being saved, the state of having been saved (from hell).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “salvation”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- / salvation

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