c.1225, "to deliver (one's soul) from sin and its consequences;" c.1250, "to deliver or rescue from peril," from O.Fr.
sauver, from L.L.
salvare "make safe, secure," from L.
salvus "safe" (see
safe (adj.)). Meaning "store up, to keep instead of spending" is attested from 1362;
savings "money hoarded up" is from 1737;
savings bank is 1817 (
S & L for
savings and loan attested from 1951).
Save face (1898) first was used among the British community in China and is said to be from Chinese; it has not been found in Chinese, but
tiu lien "to lose face" does occur. To
not (do something) to save one's life is recorded from 1848. Phrase
saved by the bell (1932) is from boxing.