pre·serve (pr -zûrv )v. pre·served, pre·serv·ing, pre·serves v.tr.1. To maintain in safety from injury, peril, or harm; protect. 2. To keep in perfect or unaltered condition; maintain unchanged. 3. To keep or maintain intact: tried to preserve family harmony. See Synonyms at defend. 4. To prepare (food) for future use, as by canning or salting. 5. To prevent (organic bodies) from decaying or spoiling. 6. To keep or protect (game or fish) for one's private hunting or fishing. v.intr.1. To treat fruit or other foods so as to prevent decay. 2. To maintain a private area stocked with game or fish. n.1. Something that acts to preserve; a preservative. 2. Fruit cooked with sugar to protect against decay or fermentation. Often used in the plural. 3. An area maintained for the protection of wildlife or natural resources. 4. Something considered as being the exclusive province of certain persons: Ancient Greek is the preserve of scholars.
[Middle English preserven, from Old French preserver, from Medieval Latin praeserv re, from Late Latin, to observe beforehand : Latin prae-, pre- + Latin servre, to guard, preserve; see ser-1 in Indo-European roots.]
pre·serv a·bili·ty n. pre·serva·ble adj. preser·vation (pr z r-vshn) n. pre·server n. |
preserve Verb [-serving, -served] 1. to keep safe from change or extinction; protect: we are interested in preserving world peace 2. to protect from decay or damage: the carefully preserved village of Cregneish 3. to treat (food) in order to prevent it from decaying 4. to maintain; keep up: the 1.2% increase in earnings needed to preserve living standards Noun 1. an area of interest restricted to a particular person or group: working-class preserves such as pigeon racing 2. (usually pl) fruit preserved by cooking in sugar 3. an area where game is kept for private hunting or fishing [Latin prae before + servare to keep safe] preservation n
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. | preserve - a domain that seems to be specially reserved for someone; "medicine is no longer a male preserve"arena, domain, sphere, orbit, area, field - a particular environment or walk of life; "his social sphere is limited"; "it was a closed area of employment"; "he's out of my orbit" | | 2. | preserve - a reservation where animals are protectedshooting preserve - a preserve on which hunting is permitted during certain months of the year | | 3. |  preserve - fruit preserved by cooking with sugarchowchow - a Chinese preserve of mixed fruits and ginger jam - preserve of crushed fruit lemon cheese, lemon curd - a conserve with a thick consistency; made with lemons and butter and eggs and sugar jelly - a preserve made of the jelled juice of fruit marmalade - a preserve made of the pulp and rind of citrus fruits | | Verb | 1. | preserve - keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last; "preserve the peace in the family"; "continue the family tradition"; "Carry on the old traditions"go forward, proceed, continue - move ahead; travel onward in time or space; "We proceeded towards Washington"; "She continued in the direction of the hills"; "We are moving ahead in time now" perpetuate - cause to continue or prevail; "perpetuate a myth" sustain, keep up, prolong - lengthen or extend in duration or space; "We sustained the diplomatic negotiations as long as possible"; "prolong the treatment of the patient"; "keep up the good work" mummify - preserve while making lifeless; "mummified ideas and institutions should be gotten rid of" hold, keep, maintain - keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., "keep clean"; "hold in place"; "She always held herself as a lady"; "The students keep me on my toes" continue, go on, keep, go along, proceed - continue a certain state, condition, or activity; "Keep on working!"; "We continued to work into the night"; "Keep smiling"; "We went on working until well past midnight" | | 2. | preserve - keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction; "We preserve these archeological findings"; "The old lady could not keep up the building"; "children must be taught to conserve our national heritage"; "The museum curator conserved the ancient manuscripts"keep - look after; be the keeper of; have charge of; "He keeps the shop when I am gone" plastinate - preserve (tissue) with plastics, as for teaching and research purposes; "The doctor plastinates bodies to teach anatomy to his students" hold the line - hold the line on prices; keep the price of something constant | | 3. | preserve - to keep up and reserve for personal or special use; "She saved the old family photographs in a drawer"keep, hold on - retain possession of; "Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"; "She kept her maiden name after she married" | | 4. | preserve - prevent (food) from rotting; "preserved meats"; "keep potatoes fresh"freeze-dry - preserve by rapid freezing and subsequently drying in a vacuum; "freeze-dry the strawberries" conserve - preserve with sugar; "Mom always conserved the strawberries we grew in the backyard" dehydrate, desiccate - preserve by removing all water and liquids from; "carry dehydrated food on your camping trip" pickle - preserve in a pickling liquid salt - preserve with salt; "people used to salt meats on ships" can, tin, put up - preserve in a can or tin; "tinned foods are not very tasty" refrigerate - preserve by chilling; "many foods must be refrigerated or else they will spoil" cure - prepare by drying, salting, or chemical processing in order to preserve; "cure meats"; "cure pickles"; "cure hay" corn - preserve with salt; "corned beef" ready, prepare, cook, fix, make - prepare for eating by applying heat; "Cook me dinner, please"; "can you make me an omelette?"; "fix breakfast for the guests, please" stay fresh, keep - fail to spoil or rot; "These potatoes keep for a long time" | | 5. | preserve - maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger; "May God keep you"protect - shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage; "Weatherbeater protects your roof from the rain" keep - look after; be the keeper of; have charge of; "He keeps the shop when I am gone" | | 6. | preserve - keep undisturbed for personal or private use for hunting, shooting, or fishing; "preserve the forest and the lakes"hold, keep, maintain - keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., "keep clean"; "hold in place"; "She always held herself as a lady"; "The students keep me on my toes" |
preserve verb 1. maintain, keep, continue, retain, sustain, keep up, prolong, uphold, conserve, perpetuate, keep alive << OPPOSITE end verb 2. protect, keep, save, maintain, guard, defend, secure, shelter, shield, care for, safeguard, conserve << OPPOSITE attack verb 3. keep, save, store, can, dry, bottle, salt, cure, candy, pickle, conserve noun 5. area, department, field, territory, province, arena, orbit, sphere, realm, domain, specialism  Translations
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preserve [prɪˈzəːv] vt (= keep safe) → preservar, proteger (= maintain); mantener [+ food]; conservar;
preserve [prɪˈzəːv] vt (= keep safe) → préserver, protéger (= maintain); conserver, garder [+ food]; mettre en conserve
preserve [prɪˈzəːv] vt → erhalten [+ peace]; wahren [+ wood]; schützen [+ food]; konservieren
preserve [prɪˈzəːv] vt (= keep safe) → preservare, proteggere (= maintain); conservare [+ food]; mettere in conserva
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preserving