preserved

American  

[pri-zurvd] / prɪˈzɜrvd /

adjective

1. (of food or any perishable substance) prepared by canning, pickling, salting, or the like, or treated by some process to prevent decomposition or fermentation.

   I had never had such fresh-tasting preserved fruit before.

2. kept safe from harm or injury; protected or spared.

   This is a wonderfully preserved example of Mayan cave art.

3. kept up or maintained; kept in good condition or health.

   Tucked in Amsterdam’s inner city is a uniquely preserved 17th-century house from the Dutch Golden Age.

4. kept alive or in existence.

   When I take a portrait photograph, I’m capturing a moment in a life, making it a preserved memory.

5. (of game or fish, natural habitats, etc.) maintained or reserved for continued hunting or fishing, or for private or public use and appreciation.

   New walking trails will be built through the preserved areas of parkland.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of preserve.

Other Word Forms

• semipreserved adjective
• unpreserved adjective

Etymology

Origin of preserved

First recorded in 1550–60; preserve ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; preserve ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Explanation

Something that's preserved is kept in its original state or kept alive and fresh. Preserved artifacts are protected from damage, often in a museum where they can be kept safe. Preserved food is treated in some way that makes it spoil much more slowly than it would otherwise. Sometimes this is done by adding chemical preservatives, and other times it's a more natural process, involving drying, pickling, salting, or canning. Preserved fruit, cooked with sugar and sealed in jars, is also called preserves. These words all stem from the Medieval Latin preservare, "keep safe."

Example Sentences

For some, wealth isn’t just a resource to be used — it’s something to be preserved.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Its unique value is one of accumulated histories, preserved from one administration to the next despite periodic changes, which have sometimes been extreme.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The state also pointed to later postconviction filings and defense counsel’s own affidavit suggesting that she had not in fact preserved the fuller pretext theories subsequently pressed on appeal.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

Ross Barnett, director of investigations at OSI, on Tuesday said they were confronting "challenging circumstances" – which include limited preserved physical evidence and no cross-border policing cooperation.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Curious strangers stopped by to see—and sometimes buy—her trays of pinned butterflies and preserved pupae.

From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman

Related Words

• covered
• guaranteed
• guarded
• secured
• sheltered