preserved

[ pri-zurvd ]

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.

verb

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

Other Words From

• sem·i·pre·served adjective
• un·pre·served adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of preserved¹

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

Example Sentences

The research helps explain how many cultural traits have been preserved for thousands of years among hunter-gatherer groups across a wide range of natural environments in Africa.

From Science Daily

The specimen is complete with nearly every single bone preserved and unusually, it is preserved in three dimensions, where most pterosaurs tend to be crushed flat.

From Science Daily

The film became a Hollywood classic and is preserved in the US Library of Congress's National Film Registry as culturally, historically and aesthetically important.

From BBC

"The layer where we found Uncus is particularly exciting because the sediment grains are so small that we really see all the details of the fossils preserved there."

From Science Daily

In a study published this week in Scientific Reports, researchers describe the frozen body of a saber-toothed kitten preserved for 37,000 years in the Siberian permafrost.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• covered
• guaranteed
• guarded
• secured
• sheltered