I. ˈsāviŋ, -vēŋ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from gerund of saven to save — more at save
1. : preservation from danger or destruction : deliverance
work's the saving of mankind — Eden Phillpotts
2. : the act or an instance of economizing : reduction in cost
a saving on fuel
a saving of ten percent in maintenance costs
3.
a. savings plural : money put by
keeps her savings under the mattress
has her savings invested in stocks
b. : the excess of income over consumption expenditures — often used in plural
II. preposition
Etymology: Middle English, from present participle of saven to save
1. : except , save
2. : without disrespect to
there are men in these modern times, saving your presence, that can't visit a privy without searching out for a meaning behind it — Mary Deasy
who, saving your reverence, is the devil himself — Shakespeare
III. conjunction
: except , save
IV. adjective
Etymology: from present participle of save (I)
1.
a. : serving to rescue, preserve, or protect ; specifically : leading to salvation
a saving faith
b. : serving to keep from or compensate for error or weakness : redeeming
a scholar of vision and insight with a fund of saving common sense — Geoffrey Bruun
a saving sense of humor
2. : characterized by thriftiness : economical
wealthy by inheritance but saving by constitution — Ellen Glasgow
3. archaic : bringing neither profit nor loss
4. : embodying or expressing an exception or reservation