saving

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
saving/ˈseɪvɪŋ/

▶noun

• 1 an economy of or reduction in money, time, etc.

• 2 (savings) money saved, especially through a bank or official scheme.

• 3 Law a reservation; an exception.

▶adjective [in combination] preventing waste of a particular resource: an energy-saving light bulb. ▶preposition

• 1 except.

• 2 archaic with due respect to.

– origin ME: from save1; the preposition prob. from save2, on the pattern of touching.