preservation

American  

[prez-er-vey-shuhn] / ˌprɛz ərˈveɪ ʃən /

noun

preservations plural

1. the act or process of keeping something in existence.

   The creation, stabilization, and preservation of quality long-term affordable housing is a critical step in maintaining a healthy community.

2. the act or process of keeping something safe from damage or deterioration.

   The facilities include air-conditioned storage vaults for optimum preservation of the historic film archive.

   The natural growth of population continuously presents problems for the preservation of the environment.

3. the process of preparing food or other perishables to resist spoilage or decomposition.

   Historic techniques of food preservation include drying, smoking, pickling, and salting.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpreservation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• preservations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of preservation

First recorded in 1400–50; from Medieval Latin praeservātion-, stem of praeservātio “a guarding,” equivalent to praeservāt-, stem of praeservāre + Latin -iō -ion ( def. ); see preserve ( def. )

Explanation

Use the noun preservation to refer to the protection of something — especially from loss, injury, or danger. You might fight for the preservation of the woodlands near your house because of all the animals that live there. Preservation is also a process that keeps organic things from decomposing. If the preservation of the flowers in your prom corsage is important to you, you can dry the flowers to keep them from decaying. If you dry them, they'll probably last longer than your relationship with your high school boyfriend! The word preservation is often used when referring to historic preservation, which is the protection of buildings and sites of historic significance.

Example Sentences

The LA Local obtained photos of a petition asking voters to remove their names from the Billboard Blight Elimination and Neighborhood Preservation Initiative.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

Preservation of the manager’s job, or at least their ego, becomes the top priority.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

“The reality is, they will all remain affordable,” said Dina Levy, the commissioner of the city’s Housing Preservation and Development Department.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

“The ballroom is literally an imposition between two branches of our government,” the architect David Scott Parker, who’s on the board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, fretted to the Times.

From Slate • May 18, 2026

The artifacts were then taken to the conservation laboratory of the Cultural Properties Preservation Bureau in Seoul, where they underwent lengthy conservation procedures.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• care
• conservancy
• conservation
• safeguarding
• safety
• security
• storage