savings bank Financial institution that gathers savings and pays interest or dividends to savers. It channels the savings of individuals who wish to consume less than their incomes to borrowers who wish to spend more. This function is performed by mutual savings banks, savings and loan asso¬ ciations, credit unions, postal savings systems, and municipal savings banks. Unlike a commercial bank, a savings bank does not accept demand deposits. Many savings banks originated as part of a philanthropic effort to encourage saving among people of modest means. The earliest municipal savings banks developed from the municipal pawnshops of Italy (see pawn¬ broking). Other early savings banks were founded in Germany in 1778 and The Netherlands in 1817. The first U.S. savings banks were nonprofit insti¬ tutions established in the early 1800s for charitable purposes.
Savonarola V.sa-vo-no-'ro-loA Italian X.sa-vo-na-'ro-laV Girolamo (b. Sept. 21, 1452, Ferrara, duchy of Ferrara—d. May 23, 1498, Florence)
Italian preacher, religious reformer, and martyr. Fie joined the Dominican order in 1475 and was sent to Flo¬ rence to lecture at the convent of San Marco, where he became known for his learning and asceticism. His apocalyptic preaching maintained that the church needed reforming, that it would be scourged and then renewed. After the overthrow of the Medici family (1494), Savonarola became leader of Florence, setting up a democratic but severely puri¬ tanical government, notable for its “bonfire of the vanities,” in which frivolous materials were burned. He also sought to establish a Christian republic as a base for reforming Italy and the church. He was opposed by the Arrabiati, supporters of the Medici, and by Pope Alexander VI, who attempted to restrain his unusual interpretations of scripture and his claim of prophecy. Savonarola was tried, convicted of heresy (1498), and hanged and burned. Despite popular veneration, attempts to bring about his canonization have been unsuccessful.
savory Aromatic annual herb ( Satureja hortensis) of the mint family, native to southern Europe. The dried leaves and flowering tops are used as a flavouring and in herb bouquets. Winter, or dwarf, savory ( S. mon- tana) is smaller and flowers in winter. It is used for culinary purposes almost interchangeably with the summer species.
Savoy French Savoie \sa-'vwa\ Italian Savoia \sa-'vo-ya\ Histori¬ cal region, southeastern France and northwestern Italy. From the 11th century the counts of Savoy ruled it as part of the kingdom of Arles under the suzerainty of what would become the Holy Roman Empire. It became virtually independent and expanded across the Alps to include the plain of Piedmont in Italy. In the 18th century Piedmont and Savoy were incor¬ porated into the kingdom of Sardinia, and the dukes of Savoy became kings of Sardinia. Savoy and Piedmont were ceded to France in 1792, but Savoy was restored to its traditional rulers in 1815, with the addition of Genoa. In 1860 Sardinia, Genoa, and Piedmont joined other Italian states to form the Kingdom of Italy. The house of Savoy was the ruling house of Italy until 1946, when the Italian Republic was established.
Savoy, house of Historic dynasty of Europe and the ruling house of Italy (1861-1946). Its founder was Umberto I the Whitehanded (d. 1048?), who held the county of Savoy and areas east of the Rhone River and south of Lake Geneva. His medieval successors, including Amadeus VI, added territory in the western Alps where France, Italy, and Switzer¬ land converge. In 1416 the house was raised to ducal status in the Holy Roman Empire, after which it declined until the late 16th century.
Although under French domination in the 17th century, the house under Victor Amadeus II acquired territory in northeastern Italy and attained the royal title, first of the kingdom of Sicily (1713), which he exchanged for Sardinia (1720). The house was powerful in the Risorgimento, and under the kings Victor Emmanuel I, Victor Emmanuel II, and Charles Albert it con¬ tributed to the 19th-century unification of Italy. It then lost its prominence, and the monarchs Umberto I and Victor Emmanuel III served mainly as fig¬ ureheads until the vote for a republic in 1946 ended Savoy rule.
saw Tool for cutting solid materials to prescribed lengths or shapes. Most saws take the form of a thin metal strip with teeth on one edge or a thin metal disk with teeth on the edge. The teeth are usually set to alternate sides so that the kerf (groove) cut by the saw is wider than the thickness of the saw; the saw blade can thus move freely in the groove without binding. Thin-strip saws are used in various ways in both hand and machine operations; circular, or disk, saws are always machine powered (see SAWING MACHINE, MACHINE TOOL).
saw palmetto Any of several shrubby palms chiefly of the southern U.S. and West Indies that have spiny-toothed petioles (leafstalks), espe¬ cially a common palm ( Serenoa repens ) of the southeastern U.S., with a usually creeping stem. Saw palmettos make up part of the vegetation found in the Florida Everglades. When undisturbed, they grow into great masses of foliage. The saw palmetto has recently drawn attention as the source of a possible treatment for prostate cancer.
Sawatch \so-'wach\ Range Range of the Rocky Mountains, central Colorado, U.S. It is 100 mi (160 km) long and is bounded by the Arkan¬ sas River and the Elk Mountains. Its middle portion, with Mounts Yale, Harvard, and Princeton, is usually called the Collegiate Range. Many summits exceed 14,000 ft (4,300 m), including Mount Elbert (14,433 ft [4,399 m]), the highest point in the Rockies. The discovery of gold in 1860 attracted settlers to the region. Ranching, dairying, and tourism are the main industries today.
Sawchuk Vsow-chokV Terry in full Terrence Gordon Saw- chuck (b. Dec. 28, 1929, Winnipeg, Man., Can.—d. May 31, 1970, New York, N.Y., U.S.) Canadian-U.S. hockey goalie. He played two seasons in other leagues before going to the National Hockey League (1949), in which he played for the Detroit Red Wings (1949-54, 1957-64), Boston Bruins (1955-56), Toronto Maple Leafs (1964-67), and other teams. His career record of 103 shutouts still stands; he is second in career wins (447).
sawfish Any of about six species (genus Pristis, family Pristidae) of sharklike ray. Sawfishes have a long head, long body, and a long, toothed, bladelike snout. The largest attain lengths of 23 ft (7 m) or more. These bottom-dwellers inhabit shallow waters of subtropical and tropical bays and estuaries and sometimes swim up rivers. Some live in the freshwaters of Lake Nicaragua. They are not generally dangerous. Their saws are used either to dig out bottom animals or, when lashed about, to kill or maim schooling fishes. Sawfishes are good to eat when small; they are fished in some areas for food, oil, skins, and other products.
sawfiy Any of numerous, widely distributed insect species in five families (superfamily Tenthredi- noidea, order Hymenoptera). Typical sawflies (family Tenthredinidae) are often brightly coloured and are com¬ monly found on flowers; the North American pear slug eats pear, cherry, and plum leaves. The larvae of many species in the other four families also damage trees. Argid sawflies (family Argidae) feed on rose bushes and wil¬ low, oak, and birch trees. The North American elm sawfiy (family Cim- bicidae) feeds on elm and willow.
The North American conifer sawflies
Savonarola, painting by Fra Barto¬ lomeo; in the Museo di S. Marco, Flo¬ rence
AUNARI—ART RESOURCE/EB INC.
Sawfish (Pristis).
KARL H. MASLOWSKI
Sawfiy (Cimbex)
WILLIAM E. FERGUSON
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
sawing machine ► Sayles I 1693
(family Diprionidae) are common, sometimes serious pests of coniferous trees. The pergid sawflies (family Pergidae) consist of a single genus in South America and Australia.