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preserve
3 dictionary results for: Preserved
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
pre·serve       [pri-zurv] Pronunciation Key verb, -served, -serv·ing, noun
–verb (used with object)
1.to keep alive or in existence; make lasting: to preserve our liberties as free citizens.
2.to keep safe from harm or injury; protect or spare.
3.to keep up; maintain: to preserve historical monuments.
4.to keep possession of; retain: to preserve one's composure.
5.to prepare (food or any perishable substance) so as to resist decomposition or fermentation.
6.to prepare (fruit, vegetables, etc.) by cooking with sugar, pickling, canning, or the like.
7.to maintain and reserve (game, fish, etc.) for continued survival or for private use, as in hunting or fishing.
–verb (used without object)
8.to preserve fruit, vegetables, etc.; make preserves.
9.to maintain a preserve for game or fish, esp. for sport.
–noun
10.something that preserves.
11.that which is preserved.
12.Usually, preserves. fruit, vegetables, etc., prepared by cooking with sugar.
13.a place set apart for protection and propagation of game or fish, esp. for sport.
[Origin: 1325–75; ME preserven < ML praeservāre to guard (LL: to observe), equiv. to L prae- pre- + servāre to watch over, keep, preserve, observe]

—Related forms
pre·serv·a·ble, adjective
pre·serv·a·bil·i·ty, noun
pres·er·va·tion       [prez-er-vey-shuhn] Pronunciation Key, noun
pre·serv·er, noun

—Synonyms 1. conserve. 2. safeguard, shelter, shield. See defend. 3. continue, uphold, sustain.
—Antonyms 1. destroy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
pre·serve       (prĭ-zûrv')  Pronunciation Key 
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 praeservāre, from Late Latin, to observe beforehand : Latin prae-, pre- + Latin servāre, to guard, preserve; see ser-1 in Indo-European roots.]

pre·serv'a·bil'i·ty n., pre·serv'a·ble adj., pres'er·va'tion (prěz'ər-vā'shən) n., pre·serv'er n.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
preserved

adjective
1. prevented from decaying or spoiling and prepared for future use [ant: fresh] 
2. kept intact or in a particular condition [ant: destroyed] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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