As you were going about your daily dose of social media, you came across phrases like “to make a save” or “to pull off a sensational save.”
You said to yourself, “I think these look a bit awkwardly formed.” A few seconds and mouse clicks later, you’ve reached our site to seek some answers.
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Today, you will not only find out what exactly is the noun form of the word “save,” but you will also uncover why a lot of people seem to be asking this question.
What is the noun form of “save”?
In the context of sports, “save” in itself can be used as a noun that means to stop an opponent either from scoring or winning. In economics, “saving” or “savings” are used as noun forms of “save”. But, in religious or political discussions, we can also use “salvation” as its related noun form.
Understanding the word “save” with context and examples
Word structure problems like “comma vs. coma” and “more so vs. moreso” could put people at the end of their wits.
This is also true with the word “save” in English, which would really cause uncertainties without proper context.
Like a multitude of other English words, “save” is a remnant of the Latin language that has been passed on and modified for generations.
It comes from “salvus,” turned into “salvare,” and later became “sauver” in Old French until it finally reached the English world.
Because language naturally gets passed on from one generation to another, certain modifications in form and meaning are also expected.
Add up your constant technological advancements, and you’ll get tons of adjustments here and there.
Without any context, the word “save” alone can be syntactically used as a verb, preposition, conjunction, and even as a noun.
Since this is the case, the meaning of “save” could remain pretty much the same or totally irrelevant across all the parts of speech mentioned above.
To make the subtlest distinctions matter, let’s look at each part of speech in ample detail together with example sentences.
The verb “to save”
The verb “to save” could mean “to rescue something or someone,” “to set aside for future use,” “to store data,” or “to maintain or preserve something.”
This word can be identified as a transitive verb when it is able to act on a direct object but is otherwise intransitive when it cannot take a direct object.
You may check our complete guide on transitive verbs, as well as our definitive guide on intransitive verbs to understand the concept of transitivity in ample detail.
Below are some example sentences using the verb “to save” in their different senses.
Examples:
In relation to the meaning “to rescue,” the verb “to salvage” may also be used to denote the same meaning.
The noun form of “to salvage” is “salvation,” which will be explained further a couple of sections later.
Example:
The preposition “save”
In formal English, “save” may also be used as a preposition that would require a prepositional object afterward.
Just like how we work around prepositions, the prepositional object needs to be a noun or a noun phrase to distinguish its syntactic usage from the conjunctive sense of “save.”
Moreover, its meaning can be reduced to “but” or “except,” which can be used to exclude a piece of information, item, person, etc., in a sentence.
Here are two examples of how that works in sentence construction:
Examples:
The conjunction “save”
“Save” may also act as a conjunction that can be used to link two clauses together rather than phrases.
Knowing this is critical to sentence construction because this is what sets the conjunction “save” apart from the prepositional function discussed earlier.
Understanding the conjunctive sense of “save” should be a lot easier now because it is simply similar to “but,” “except that,” or the longer version which is “except for the fact that.”
Below are some example sentences making use of “save” as a linking device for clauses.
Examples:
The noun “save” (in sports)
Nouns are not necessarily single-word items; they are really special in such a way that they can even come as explanatory items like appositive phrases.
The word “save” is also remarkable because it can be inflected in multiple ways to denote subtle and crude changes in its meaning.
In sports, “save” is a word that generally refers to a play that prevents an opponent from either scoring or winning the game.
The constant usage of the noun “save” in the context of physical recreation would naturally confuse both non-natives and natives who are non-sport fans.
On the other hand, most, if not all, sports enthusiasts and athletes (e.g., lacrosse, baseball, football) wouldn’t have a hard time interpreting the nominal sense of the word “save.”
The noun “save” often collocates with adjectives such as in phrases like “an amazing save,” “an unexpected save,” or “a superb reflex save.”
It may also come along with verbs as in “to pull off a save,” “to make a save,” “to receive a save,” or “to blow a save.”
If you don’t get thrilled about reading sports-related news, watching the games on TV, or listening to sports radio broadcasts, chances are you may not be familiar with the noun usage of “save.”
But, don’t worry because that will never make you any less of a person, and a huge percentage of the population actually shares the same sentiment as you.
To make things clearer, here are a few examples using the noun “save” in the context of sports – an event that actually heartens and gladdens audiences.
Examples:
By now, you should be able to do away with the confusion you had before you started reading this article.
Remember to only use “save” as a noun when you’re talking or writing about sports so as not to create any further perplexity among others.
You may use either of the next two choices that would suit the context in which you want the noun to operate.
The noun “saving(s)”
Now, it’s time to shift the gear to economics in order to make sense of the word “saving,” which can also be pluralized into “savings.”
The presence of this word in the English lexicon is also a major source of doubt in finding out the noun form of “save.”
“Saving” is a general word referring to the act of reducing cost, time, as well as other resources for the sake of balancing the economy – a thrift strategy, so to speak.
Example:
The company has made a considerable amount of saving after the retrenchment and structural reorganization.
However, the plural term “savings” only and strictly refers to the financial assets that we put either in a bank or investment plan.
Example:
Knowing these subtle differences would not only make you have the right choice in deciding whether to use “save” or “saving.”
It should also let you determine when to specifically use “savings” instead of its singular form.
The noun “salvation”
Lastly, let’s also digress into a spiritual discussion to make sense of the noun form of “to salvage” which is “salvation.”
This word originated as “salva” and later on turned into “salvatio,” something that is an heirloom of the Latin language again (as you may have figured).
“Salvation” is a word referring to “redemption” or “deliverance” from sin, harm, or any harmful situation that you would often notice in religious contexts.
Example:
But sometimes, you would also notice its usage in political discourses such as in the next example.
Example:
Finally, you may also notice it in the context of mental health and well-being.
Example:
Frequently Asked Questions on “What is the noun form of ‘save’?”
What is the abstract noun form of “save?”
“Save” in the context of sports, “saving” and “savings” in the context of economic resources are abstract noun forms that can be directly inflected from “save.” Meanwhile, “salvation” in the context of religion is also a related form that can be indirectly derived from the noun “save” and directly from “salvage.”
What is the adjective form of “save”?
The adjective form of “save” is “safe” in the sense that it means “secured” or “not in danger. “Saving” may also be used as another form especially in the context of religion, as in “saving grace” or having the quality of being “preserving” as in “a saving squirrel.”
What are synonyms of “save”?
As a verb, “save” is synonymous with “to rescue,” “to set aside”, “to store” “to redeem,” or “to maintain or preserve.” As a preposition and conjunction, its meaning is similar to “but,” “except,” or “except for the fact that.”
Conclusion
“Save” in itself is a word that we can use in several parts of speech if we disregard the context in which we want it to operate.
Besides open-mindedness, constant reading and researching about various word meanings are undoubtedly crucial in getting rid of our doubts.
Hey fellow Linguaholics! It’s me, Marcel. I am the proud owner of linguaholic.com. Languages have always been my passion and I have studied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics and Sinology at the University of Zurich. It is my utmost pleasure to share with all of you guys what I know about languages and linguistics in general.