1. 1. Preservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty, or evil.
   2. A source, means, or cause of such preservation or deliverance.
2. Christianity.
   1. Deliverance from the power or penalty of sin; redemption.
   2. The agent or means that brings about such deliverance.

[Middle English savacioun, from Old French sauvacion, from Late Latin salvātiō, salvātiōn-, from salvātus, past participle of salvāre, to save. See salvage.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.