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

Moving forward, Hewlett hopes that this research offers a more nuanced understanding of the nature of social learning in humans and how cultures in general are conserved and change over time.

From Science Daily

"Victory for Putin in Ukraine will conserve his fascist regime in Russia for many years," he told the BBC.

From BBC

L.A. residents have made significant progress in conserving water in recent years, using less today than they did half a century ago, despite the city’s population growth.

From Los Angeles Times

Capitol rioters made him consider conserving the court's limited "resources."

From Salon

To Tarrant, conserving the purity of lands was indistinguishable from conserving white European ideals and beliefs.

From Salon

Related Words

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