salvavita

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌsal.vaˈvi.ta/
• Rhymes: -ita
• Hyphenation: sal‧va‧vì‧ta

Etymology 1

Verb-object compound, composed of salva (“to save, to protect”) +‎ vita (“life”).

Noun

salvavita m (invariable)

1. (nautical) Synonym of salvagente

Adjective

salvavita (invariable)

1. lifesaving

Etymology 2

From Salvavita, itself derived from etymology 1.

Noun

salvavita m (invariable)

1. (electricity) genericized trademark for residual-current device
2. (electricity, by extension, colloquial) any kind of circuit breaker

Further reading

• salvavita in Collins Italian-English Dictionary
• salvavita in Aldo Gabrielli, Grandi Dizionario Italiano (Hoepli)
• salvavita in garzantilinguistica.it – Garzanti Linguistica, De Agostini Scuola Spa
• salvavita in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
• salvavita in sapere.it – De Agostini Editore
• salvavita in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana