preserve
verb
- to protect from harm
- to keep something operational
- to keep something close to or in its original condition
- keep, maintain
noun
- food prepared for long-term storage, usually fruit
- protected natural area
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /pɹəˈzɜːv/ / /pɹəˈzɝv/
noun
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.
- A sweet spread made of any of a variety of fruits.
- 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.”
- An exclusive area of activity.
“Kids regard their tree houses as their own preserve.”
“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.”
verb
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.
- To protect; to keep from harm or injury.
“Let's pray that we'd be preserved from danger.”
“Every people has the right to preserve its identity and culture.”
- 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”
- To maintain throughout; to keep intact.
“to preserve appearances; to preserve silence”
“I preserved a composed manner throughout the interrogation.”