salvavidas

See also: salva-vidas

Spanish

A life buoy

A lifeboat

Etymology

Verb-object compound, composed of salva (“to save”) +‎ vidas (“lives”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌsalbaˈbidas/ [ˌsal.β̞aˈβ̞i.ð̞as]
• Rhymes: -idas
• Syllabification: sal‧va‧vi‧das

Adjective

salvavidas (invariable)

1. emergency, life saving

Derived terms

• balsa salvavidas
• bote salvavidas

 

Noun

salvavidas m (plural salvavidas)

1. life buoy (UK), life preserver (US), life ring, lifesaver
2. lifeboat

   Synonym: bote salvavidas

Noun

salvavidas m or f by sense (plural salvavidas)

1. lifeguard

   Synonyms: guardavidas, socorrista

Further reading

• “salvavidas”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10