Main Entry: ¹sal·vage

Pronunciation: \ˈsal-vij\

Function: noun

Etymology: French, from Middle French, from salver to save — more at save

Date: 1645

1 a : compensation paid for saving a ship or its cargo from the perils of the sea or for the lives and property rescued in a wreck b : the act of saving or rescuing a ship or its cargo c : the act of saving or rescuing property in danger (as from fire)
2 a : property saved from destruction in a calamity (as a wreck or fire) b : something extracted (as from rubbish) as valuable or useful