preservation

American  

[prez-er-vay-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.

---

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

See Examples For:

preservation preservations

Mentor is one of a growing number of athletes to consider fertility preservation during their careers, but the practice remains the subject of debate and experts stress it offers no guarantee of a future pregnancy.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

That money will go toward education, job training, water preservation and other local priorities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Started in 2019 by Historic Athens, a nonprofit organization, the Historic Athens Porchfest began in part to bring public awareness around historic preservation and the history of the city’s historic neighborhoods.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

Last year, the city awarded $360.9 million to 80 projects that promise the construction of 1,288 new affordable units and the preservation of 3,713 units, mostly clustered around downtown L.A.,

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

She and Uncle Lou came over for dinner a couple of nights ago, and we talked about everything from women's rights in India to the environment to preservation of endangered tigers.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions, also said it is important for civilian preservations to be spared, in line with international humanitarian law.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 14, 2023

The controversial, billion-dollar project pits a diverse group of activists, preservations, and local residents against Koike, the metropolitan government, and real estate developer Mitsui Fudosan.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2023

The huia vanished before field-recording technologies existed, but a version of its song has survived by means of an eerie series of preservations: a sound fossil.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 1, 2016

Urban critics describe the flagpole as proof of state mismanagement of everything from preservations of historic treasures to maintenance of basic infrastructure.

From Reuters ● Feb. 8, 2015

We met with many alarming accidents and wonderful preservations; but those instant dangers, which affrighted others, far from alarming me, augmented my peace.

From The Autobiography of Madame Guyon by Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

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

---