salvage

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The rescue of a ship, its crew, or its cargo from fire or shipwreck.
2. n. The ship, crew, or cargo so rescued.
3. n. Compensation given to those who voluntarily aid in such a rescue.
4. n. The act of saving imperiled property from loss.
5. n. The property so saved.
6. n. Something saved from destruction or waste and put to further use.
7. v. To save from loss or destruction.
8. v. To save (discarded or damaged material) for further use.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The act of saving a ship or goods from extraordinary danger, as from the sea, fire, or pirates.
2. n. In commercial and maritime law: An allowance or compensation to which those are entitled by whose voluntary exertions, when they were under no legal obligation to render assistance, a ship or goods have been saved from the dangers of the sea, fire, pirates, or enemies.
3. n. The property saved from danger or destruction by the extraordinary and voluntary exertions of the salvors.
4. n. Nautical, same as selvagee.
5. n. An obsolete form of savage.

Wiktionary

1. n. the rescue of a ship, its crew or its cargo from a hazardous situation
2. n. the ship, crew or cargo so rescued
3. n. the compensation paid to the rescuers
4. n. the similar rescue of property liable to loss; the property so rescued
5. n. anything that has been put to good use that would otherwise have been wasted
6. n. damaged
7. v. transitive Of property, people or situations at risk, to rescue
8. v. transitive Of discarded goods, to put to use
9. v. transitive To make new or restore for the use of being saved

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The act of saving a vessel, goods, or life, from perils of the sea.
2. n. The compensation allowed to persons who voluntarily assist in saving a ship or her cargo from peril.
3. n. That part of the property that survives the peril and is saved.
4. obsolete Savage.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. property or goods saved from damage or destruction
2. v. save from ruin, destruction, or harm
3. v. collect discarded or refused material
4. n. the act of saving goods or property that were in danger of damage or destruction
5. n. the act of rescuing a ship or its crew or its cargo from a shipwreck or a fire