preservative

American  

[pri-zur-vuh-tiv] / prɪˈzɜr və tɪv /

noun

preservatives plural

1. something that preserves or tends to preserve.

2. a chemical substance used to preserve foods or other organic materials from decomposition or fermentation.

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adjective

1. tending to preserve.

preservative British  

/ prɪˈzɜːvətɪv /

noun

1. something that preserves or tends to preserve, esp a chemical added to foods to inhibit decomposition

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adjective

1. tending or intended to preserve

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpreservative
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• preservatives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of preservative

1350–1400; Middle English (adj. and noun) < Middle French preservatif (adj.) < Medieval Latin praeservātīvus. See preserve, -ative

Explanation

Anything that's preservative keeps things alive, healthy, or fresh. Some cooks swear by the preservative powers of lemon juice, which can keep fruit tasting fresh and save avocado slices from turning brown. Use preservative as an adjective — or a noun, for a chemical or other substance that keeps something from dying or breaking down. Food preservatives are sometimes added to make edible things last longer, and to items like medication and cosmetics, so they don't decay before you've finished using them. Preservative followed the verb preserve, which in the fourteenth century meant "to keep something safe."

Example Sentences

For treating leather boots, our staff at Wirecutter likes Obenauf’s Heavy Duty Leather Preservative.

From Slate • Nov. 9, 2018

Patrick Smith's Preservative against Quakerism and The Faith and Practice of a Church of England Man, missionaries carried with them local helps such as Bishop Wilson's Essay Towards the Instruction of the Indians.

From Time Magazine Archive

In May of 1717, convocation met and the Lower House immediately adopted an unanimous report condemning the "Preservative" and the sermon.

From Political Thought in England from Locke to Bentham by Laski, Harold Joseph

The Preservative Paste now comes into requisition, and with this the skull and orbits are well painted inside and out.

From Practical Taxidermy A manual of instruction to the amateur in collecting, preserving, and setting up natural history specimens of all kinds. To which is added a chapter upon the pictorial arrangement of museums. With additional instructions in modelling and artistic taxidermy. by Browne, Montagu

Realize that in Gibson's "Preservative" there are not less than ten volumes of such writing!

From The Profits of Religion by Sinclair, Upton

Related Words

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