salvage Definition

salvage
noun

1. The rescue of a ship or its cargo from the danger of destruction or loss.
2. The reward paid by a ship's owner to those involved in saving the ship from destruction or loss.
3. The rescue of any property from fire or other danger.
4. The saving and utilization of waste material.
5. The property salvaged in such situations.

verb salvaged, salvaging

1. To rescue (property or a ship) from potential destruction or loss, eg in a fire or shipwreck, or from disposal as waste.

Thesaurus: retrieve, recover, restore, reclaim, rescue, glean, conserve, preserve, save; Antonym: lose, waste.
2. To manage to retain (eg one's pride) in adverse circumstances.

Derivative: salvageable
noun

Etymology: 17c: from Latin salvagium, from salvare to save.