autosave

A1U1T1O1S1A1V4E1
UK/ˈɔːtəʊˌseɪv/US/ˈɔtoʊˌseɪv/US/ˈɑtoʊ-/

noun

A software facility that saves an open document (or progress in a game, etc.) periodically to avoid the risk of data loss.

“Only the three most recent autosaves are preserved, to save disk space.”

OriginEnglish save ← Middle English saven ← Old French sauver →
UncommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

nounautosave (countable and uncountable, plural autosaves)

plural autosaves · alternative auto-save

  1. countableuncountablecomputingA software facility that saves an open document (or progress in a game, etc.) periodically to avoid the risk of data loss.

    Thanks to autosave, I was able to recover most of my unsaved thesis after a power cut.

  2. countablecomputingA copy of a file or document saved automatically by such a facility.

    Only the three most recent autosaves are preserved, to save disk space.

verbautosave (third-person singular simple present autosaves, present participle autosaving, simple past and past participle autosaved)

present singular third person autosaves · participle present autosaving · participle past autosaved · past autosaved · alternative auto-save

  1. transitivecomputingTo save (data) automatically.

Origin

  1. Proto-Hellenic*autós
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ew
  3. Ancient Greekαὖ (aû)
  4. Ancient Greekτόν (tón)
  5. Ancient Greekαὐτός (autós)
  6. Ancient Greekαὐτο- (auto-)
  7. Proto-Indo-European*mn̥tós
  8. Proto-Hellenic*mətós
  9. Ancient Greekαὐτόμᾰτος (autómătos)
  10. Ancient Greekαὐτόμᾰτον (autómăton)
  11. Classical Latinautomatum
  12. New Latinautomaticus
  13. Englishautomaticclip.
  14. Englishauto-
  15. Latinsalvō
  16. Latinsalvāre
  17. Old Frenchsauver
  18. Middle Englishsaven
  19. Englishsave
  20. Englishautosave

From auto- + save.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 自動保存 /自动保存
  • 自動保存 /自动保存 (zìdòng bǎocún)software facility
Esperanto aŭtokonservado
  • aŭtokonservadosoftware facility
Cite this entry
APA

autosave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autosave

MLA

“autosave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autosave. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “autosave,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autosave.

Source: autosave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.