the.com/salvage
saving what's left before the whole thing is a write-off.
means to rescue something of value from loss, damage, or ruin — pulling the usable part out of the wreck.
from From Latin 'salvare,' meaning to save, the same root that gives us 'salvation' and 'salve.' It entered English through maritime law, naming the business of rescuing a wrecked or sinking ship and its cargo — rewarding the crews who braved a dying vessel to drag whatever they could off it before the sea took the rest. The sense later widened beyond ships to anything dragged back from ruin.
- maritime law
- salvors can legally claim a reward for rescued cargo
- salvage rights
- finders of shipwrecks must still prove ownership wasn't abandoned
- word cousin
- shares a root with 'salvation' and 'salve'
- modern use
- salvage yards resell parts from totaled cars