Dictionary

preserve en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /pɹəˈzɝv/ (General-American)
• (US) audio
• /pɹəˈzɜːv/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English preserven, from Old French preserver, from Medieval Latin prēservāre (“keep, preserve”), from Late Latin praeservāre (“guard beforehand”), from prae (“before”, adverb) + servāre (“maintain, keep”). Displaced native Old English nerian.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A sweet spread made of any of a variety of fruits.
2. (countable, uncountable) A reservation, a nature preserve.
   • Suppose Shakespeare had been knocked on the head some dark night in Sir Thomas Lucy's preserves, the world would have wagged on better or worse, the pitcher gone to the well, the scythe to the corn, and the student to his book; and no one been any the wiser of the loss. 1881, Robert Louis Stevenson, Virginibus Puerisque:
3. (countable, uncountable) An exclusive area of activity.
   • No one can argue with that—neither the Army Commander nor Zhilinsky nor even the Grand Duke. That is the Emperor’s preserve. The Emperor says France must be saved. We can only do his bidding. 1989, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, translated by H. T. Willetts, August 1914, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, page 86:
   • Kids regard their tree houses as their own preserve.
   • The ability to shift profits to low-tax countries by locating intellectual property in them, which is then licensed to related businesses in high-tax countries, is often assumed to be the preserve of high-tech companies. 2013 June 22, “T time”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 68:

Forms

Deriveds

game preserve · natural preserve · shooting preserve

Relateds

preserver

Synonyms

marmalade · jam · jelly · conserve

Translations (60)

fi marmeladi (sweet spread) · ba варенье (sweet spread) · fr conserve (sweet spread) · sh zabran (nature preserve) · es coto (activity with restricted access) · grc μελίμηλον (sweet spread) · it marmellata (sweet spread) · mk резерва́т (nature preserve) · sh branjevina (nature preserve) · ja プレザーブ (sweet spread) · pl przetwór (sweet spread) · de Naturschutzgebiet (nature preserve) · fi luonnonsuojelualue (nature preserve) · es dominio (activity with restricted access) · pl domena (activity with restricted access) · sh zagrad (nature preserve) · fi hillo (sweet spread) · tr reçel (sweet spread) · et looduskaitseala (nature preserve) · sv sylt (sweet spread) · ba ҡурсаулыҡ (nature preserve) · fr confiture (sweet spread) · es terreno (activity with restricted access) · es mermelada (sweet spread) · ja ジャム (sweet spread) · bg сладко (sweet spread) · de Konserve (sweet spread) · fr réserve naturelle (nature preserve) · sh сла̀тко̄ (sweet spread) · sv marmelad (sweet spread) · es reserva (nature preserve) · la vīvārium (nature preserve) · ca reserva natural (nature preserve) · fr domaine réservé (activity with restricted access) · gl reserva natural (nature preserve) · mk сла́тко (sweet spread) · pt reserva (nature preserve) · ru запове́дник (nature preserve) · de Eingemachtes (sweet spread) · sv konserverad frukt (sweet spread) · fi luonnonpuisto (nature preserve) · cmn 果醬 /果酱 (sweet spread) · id cagar alam (nature preserve) · ar مُرَبًّى (sweet spread) · pl rezerwat (nature preserve) · de Naturreservat (nature preserve) · bg резерват (nature preserve) · da naturreservat (nature preserve) · it confettura (sweet spread) · mk при́роден резерва́т (nature preserve) · vi mứt (sweet spread) · it riserva (nature preserve) · ru варе́нье (sweet spread) · ba ҡайнатма (sweet spread) · sh slatko (sweet spread) · sv naturreservat (nature preserve) · ko 잼 (sweet spread) · uk варе́ння (sweet spread) · es reserva natural (nature preserve) · uk запові́дник (nature preserve)

preserve en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /pɹəˈzɝv/ (General-American)
• (US) audio
• /pɹəˈzɜːv/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English preserven, from Old French preserver, from Medieval Latin prēservāre (“keep, preserve”), from Late Latin praeservāre (“guard beforehand”), from prae (“before”, adverb) + servāre (“maintain, keep”). Displaced native Old English nerian.

Meanings

1. To protect; to keep from harm or injury.
   • Let's pray that we'd be preserved from danger.
   • O, the Lord preserve thy good Grace! By my troth, welcome to London. […] c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:
   • Every people has the right to preserve its identity and culture.
2. To save from decay by the use of some preservative substance, such as sugar or salt; to season and prepare (fruits, meat, etc.) for storage.
   • to preserve peaches or grapes
3. To maintain throughout; to keep intact.
   • Among the most modern of all the Pacific stock in Great Britain is the stud of "Merchant Navy" and "West Country" Pacifics on the Southern Region, and the rebuilding which is now being carried out, preserving all the best features of the Bulleid designs—such as the free-steaming boiler—and jettisoning the features that have given trouble, in particular the chain-driven valve-motion, should give the Southern a supply of highly-competent machines able to last out the remaining life of steam on the S.R. 1957 July 14, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 496:
   • O, that this good blossom could be kept from cankers! Well, there is sixpence to preserve thee. c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
   • to preserve appearances; to preserve silence
   • I preserved a composed manner throughout the interrogation.
   • Better men than you, men who could believe and obey, twisted the entrails of iron and preserved the legend of fire. 1908, G[ilbert] K[eith] Chesterton, The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare, Bristol: J[ames] W[illiams] Arrowsmith, […]; London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Company, →OCLC, page 266:

Forms

Deriveds

lyopreserve · preservingly · preservation · preservable · preserving glass · unpreserved · preservability · nonpreserved · God preserve us · preserving pan · cryopreserve · biopreserved · mispreserve

Translations (106)

bg предпазвам (to protect) · bg спазвам (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · km គាំពារ (to protect) · fr conserver (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · de aufrechterhalten (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · pl zachować (to protect) · oc preservar (to protect) · fi pitää (to protect) · is varðveita (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · ro proteja (to protect) · ba һаҡлау (to protect) · vi bảo tồn (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · la tueor (to protect) · grc διασῴζω (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · cs uchovat (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · km រក្សា (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · ca preservar (to protect) · tr devam ettirmek (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · uk охороня́ти (to protect) · el διατηρώ (to protect) · fi suojata (to protect) · pox ai̯băroi̯ (to protect) · es conservar (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · ar حَافَظَ (to protect) · bg консервирам (to prepare food for storage) · ga coinnigh (to protect) · fi suojella (to protect) · fi säilöä (to prepare food for storage) · uk зберіга́ти (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · eo konservi (to protect) · ht konsève (to protect) · ru охрани́ть (to protect) · ba һаҡтау (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · ga leasaigh (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · da bevare (to protect) · it proteggere (to protect) · ru сохрани́ть (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · io prezervar (to protect) · la tueor (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · bg пазя (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · ru защища́ть (to protect) · fi säilyttää (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · cs uchovávat (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · cy preserfio (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · io konservar (to protect) · pt conservar (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · tr sürdürmek (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · nl bewaren (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · de bewahren (to protect) · uk захища́ти (to protect) · ga caomhnaigh (to protect) · sa पाति (to protect) · fi säilyttää (to prepare food for storage) · fi ylläpitää (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · el διατηρώ (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · uk зберегти́ (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · gl preservar (to protect) · nl beschermen (to protect) · it salvaguardare (to protect) · ru сохраня́ть (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · tr muhafaza etmek (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · mk конзерви́ра (to prepare food for storage) · fi turvata (to protect) · it conservare (to prepare food for storage) · cy cadw (to protect) · ru охраня́ть (to protect) · cy cyffeithio (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · mwl preserbar (to protect) · tr muhafaza etmek (to protect) · ba һаҡтау (to protect) · mk за́чува (to prepare food for storage) · bg охранявам (to protect) · fi säilyttää (to protect) · az qoruyub-saxlamaq (to protect) · gd dìon (to protect) · fi pitää (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · io konservar (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · es preservar (to protect) · mk за́штити (to protect) · mk за́чува (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · ca conservar (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · de erhalten (to protect) · la conservo (to protect) · ru оберега́ть (to protect) · mi roki (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · scn prisirvari (to protect) · ba һаҡлау (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · ru обере́чь (to protect) · km អភិរក្ស (to protect) · tr korumak (to protect) · de bewahren (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · hy պահպանել (to protect) · ro întreține (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · gd saill (to prepare food for storage) · ru защити́ть (to protect) · fr préserver (to protect) · et säilitama (to protect) · grc ταριχεύω (to prepare food for storage) · uk оберіга́ти (to protect) · cs chránit (to protect) · sv bevara (to protect) · pt preservar (to protect) · it preservare (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · sa धरति (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · nl in stand houden (to keep; to maintain the condition of) · it preservare (to protect)