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save²

(sāv)

prep.

With the exception of; except: "No man enjoys self-reproach save a masochist" (Philip Wylie).

conj.

1. Were it not; except: The house would be finished by now, save that we had difficulty contracting a roofer.

2. Unless.

[Middle English, from Old French sauf, from Latin salvō, ablative sing. of salvus, safe; see sol- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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