preserve

pre·serve

Use preserve in a sentence

Male lion with cub on a preserve in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

noun

The definition of a preserve is a place where animals are cared for in order to lengthen their lives, or a fruit preserved in large chunks.
An example of a preserve is a wild animal preserve.

verb

To preserve is to protect or keep something as it is or in its original state.
1. An example of preserve is when you try to save the forest or preserve the forest in its original state.
2. An example of preserve is when you try to fix up an old house without changing any of the character.

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"preserve." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 October 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/preserve>.

APA Style

preserve. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/preserve

preserve

transitive verb

-·served′, -·serv′ing

to keep from harm, damage, danger, evil, etc.; protect; save
to keep from spoiling or rotting
to prepare (food), as by canning, pickling, salting, etc., for future use
to keep up; carry on; maintain
to maintain and protect (game, fish, etc.) in an area, esp. for regulated hunting or fishing

Origin of preserve

Middle English preserven from Middle French preserver from Medieval Latin praeservare, to preserve, protect from LL, to observe beforehand from Classical Latin prae-, pre- + servare: see observe

to preserve fruit, etc.
to maintain a game preserve

[usually pl.] fruit preserved whole or in large pieces by cooking with sugar
a place where game, fish, etc. are preserved
any place or activity treated as the special domain of some person or group
something that preserves or is preserved

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Link to this page

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MLA Style

"preserve." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 October 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/preserve>.

APA Style

preserve. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/preserve

preserve

verb

pre·served, pre·serv·ing, pre·serves

verb

transitive

To keep from injury, peril, or harm; protect. See Synonyms at defend.
To keep in perfect or unaltered condition; maintain unchanged: fossils preserved in sediments; a film preserved in the archives.
To keep or maintain intact: tried to preserve family harmony.
To prepare (food) for storage or future use, as by canning or salting.
To prevent (organic bodies) from decaying or spoiling: preserved the specimen in a chemical solution.
a. To protect (wildlife or natural resources) in a designated area, often for regulated hunting or fishing.
b. To maintain (an area) for the protection of wildlife or natural resources.

verb

intransitive

To treat fruit or other foods so as to prevent decay.
To maintain an area for the protection of wildlife or natural resources.

noun

Something that acts to preserve; a preservative.
often preserves Fruit cooked with sugar to protect against decay or fermentation.
An area maintained for the protection of wildlife or natural resources.
Something considered as being the exclusive province of certain persons: Ancient Greek is the preserve of scholars.

Origin of preserve

Middle English preserven from Old French preserver from Medieval Latin praeservāre from Late Latin to observe beforehand Latin prae- pre- Latin servāre to guard, preserve ; see ser-¹ in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

pre·serv′a·bil′i·ty
noun

pre·serv′a·ble
adjective

pres′er·va′tion
noun

pre·serv′er
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"preserve." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 October 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/preserve>.

APA Style

preserve. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/preserve

Noun

(countable and uncountable, plural preserves)

A sweet spread made of any of a variety of berries.
A reservation, a nature preserve.
An activity with restricted access.

Usage notes

More often used in the plural, as strawberry preserves, but the form without the -s can also be used as the plural form, or to refer to a single type.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present preserves, present participle preserving, simple past and past participle preserved)

To protect; to keep from harm or injury.
To save from decay by the use of some preservative substance, such as 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

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.