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salvage

Pronunciation: /ˈsalvɪdʒ/

Translate salvage | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of salvage

verb

[with object]
  • rescue (a wrecked or disabled ship or its cargo) from loss at sea:an emerald and gold cross was salvaged from the wreck
  • retrieve or preserve (something) from potential loss or adverse circumstances:it was the only crumb of comfort he could salvage from the ordeal

noun

[mass noun]
  • the rescue of a wrecked or disabled ship or its cargo from loss at sea: [as modifier]:a salvage operation was under way
  • the cargo saved from a wrecked or sunken ship:salvage taken from a ship that had sunk in the river
  • the rescue of property or material from potential loss or destruction: surgery resulted in the salvage of damaged myocardium
  • Law payment made or due to a person who has saved a ship or its cargo.

Derivatives

salvageable

adjective

salvager

noun

Origin:

mid 17th century (as a noun denoting payment for saving a ship or its cargo): from French, from medieval Latin salvagium, from Latin salvare 'to save'. The verb dates from the late 19th century

salvage in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of salvage in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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