conserve

[ verb kuhn-surv; noun kon-surv, kuhn-surv ]

verb (used with object)

, con·served, con·serv·ing.

1. to prevent injury, decay, waste, or loss of:

   Conserve your strength for the race.

2. to use or manage (natural resources) wisely; preserve; save:

   Conserve the woodlands.

   Synonyms: safeguard, husband

3. Physics, Chemistry. to hold (a property) constant during an interaction or process:

   the interaction conserved linear momentum.

4. to preserve (fruit) by cooking with sugar or syrup.

noun

1. Often conserves. a mixture of several fruits cooked to jamlike consistency with sugar and often garnished with nuts and raisins.

conserve

verb

1. to keep or protect from harm, decay, loss, etc
2. to preserve (a foodstuff, esp fruit) with sugar

noun

1. a preparation of fruit in sugar, similar to jam but usually containing whole pieces of fruit

Derived Forms

• conˈserver, noun
• conˈservable, adjective

Other Words From

• con·server noun
• noncon·serving adjective noun
• self-con·serving adjective
• uncon·served adjective
• uncon·serving adjective
• well-con·served adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of conserve¹

First recorded in 1325–75; (for the verb) Middle English, from Latin conservāre “to save, preserve”; equivalent to con- + serve; (for the noun) Middle English, from Middle French conserve, noun derivative of conserver, from Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of conserve¹

(vb) C14: from Latin conservāre to keep safe, from servāre to save, protect; (n) C14: from Medieval Latin conserva, from Latin conservāre

Example Sentences

“Memory for humans has been so fleeting that when we then get tools to conserve, we overindulge in it,” he said.

From Slate

"Thus, the only solution to conserve the great Indian bustard is to preserve its natural habitat," he says.

From BBC

“I still continue to paint; I make paintings in my head. I now have limited energy which I need to conserve and cannot waste putting paint to canvas,” he once told art gallerist Dadiba Pundole.

From BBC

Daylight saving time was originally implemented by Congress in 1918 to help conserve fuel and power during World War II by adding a daytime hour.

From Los Angeles Times

Then, in 1942, Congress made daylight saving time permanent year-round to conserve fuel during World War II. In 1945, that measure was repealed, and states were allowed to choose how they would observe daylight saving and standard time.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hoard
• maintain
• preserve
• safeguard
• sustain
• take care of