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Salvage vs Wreck - What's the difference?

salvage | wreck |

As nouns the difference between salvage and wreck

is that salvage is the rescue of a ship, its crew or its cargo from a hazardous situation or salvage can be while wreck is something or someone that has been ruined.

As verbs the difference between salvage and wreck

is that salvage is of property, people or situations at risk, to rescue while wreck is to destroy violently; to cause severe damage to something, to a point where it no longer works, or is useless.

salvage

Etymology 1

From (etyl) salver, from .

Noun

(en noun)
  • the rescue of a ship, its crew or its cargo from a hazardous situation
  • the ship, crew or cargo so rescued
  • the compensation paid to the rescuers
  • the similar rescue of property liable to loss; the property so rescued
  • anything that has been put to good use that would otherwise have been wasted
  • damaged
  • * salvage cars auction.
  • Verb

    (salvag)
  • Of property, people or situations at risk, to rescue
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=September 13 , author=Sam Lyon , title=Borussia Dortmund 1 - 1 Arsenal , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=Robin van Persie looked to have secured the points for the Gunners with a fine goal from Theo Walcott's through ball. But Perisic dipped a sublime 20-yard shot home to salvage a draw.}}
  • Of discarded goods, to put to use
  • To make new or restore for the use of being saved
  • Derived terms

    * salvageability * salvageable * salvager

    Etymology 2

    Alternative forms.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Anagrams

    * ----

    wreck

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Something or someone that has been ruined.
  • He was an emotional wreck after the death of his wife.
  • The remains of something that has been severely damaged or worn down.
  • * Cowper
  • To the fair haven of my native home, / The wreck of what I was, fatigued I come.
  • An event in which something is damaged through collision.
  • * Addison
  • the wreck of matter and the crush of worlds
  • * Spenser
  • Hard and obstinate / As is a rock amidst the raging floods, / 'Gainst which a ship, of succour desolate, / Doth suffer wreck , both of herself and goods.
  • * J. R. Green
  • Its intellectual life was thus able to go on amidst the wreck of its political life.
  • (legal) Goods, etc. cast ashore by the sea after a shipwreck.
  • (Bouvier)

    Synonyms

    * crash * ruins

    Derived terms

    * shipwreck

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To destroy violently; to cause severe damage to something, to a point where it no longer works, or is useless.
  • He wrecked the car in a collision.
    That adulterous hussy wrecked my marriage!
  • * Shakespeare
  • Supposing that they saw the king's ship wrecked .
  • To ruin or dilapidate.
  • (Australia) To dismantle wrecked vehicles or other objects, to reclaim any useful parts.
  • To involve in a wreck; hence, to cause to suffer ruin; to balk of success, and bring disaster on.
  • * Daniel
  • Weak and envied, if they should conspire, / They wreck themselves.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Antonyms

    * build * construct * make * produce

    Derived terms

    * bewreck * wrecker * wreckage

    References