conservation

[ kon-ser-vey-shuhn ]
/ ˌkɒn sərˈveɪ ʃən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR conservation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of conserving; prevention of injury, decay, waste, or loss; preservation: conservation of wildlife; conservation of human rights.
official supervision of rivers, forests, and other natural resources in order to preserve and protect them through prudent management.
a district, river, forest, etc., under such supervision.
the careful utilization of a natural resource in order to prevent depletion.
the restoration and preservation of works of art.

Origin of conservation

1350–1400; Middle English conservacioun < Latin conservātiōn- (stem of conservātiō), equivalent to conservāt(us) (past participle of conservāre to conserve; see -ate1) + -iōn- -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM conservation

Words nearby conservation

consequential, consequentialism, consequently, conservable, conservancy, conservation, conservation biology, conservation grade, conservation law, conservation law , conservation of angular momentum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to conservation

control, management, supervision, protection, conservancy, maintenance, care, keeping, safekeeping, saving, attention, storage, governing, upkeep, economy, salvation, custody, guardianship, stewardship, sustentation

Example sentences from the Web for conservation

British Dictionary definitions for conservation

conservation
/ (ˌkɒnsəˈveɪʃən) /

noun

the act or an instance of conserving or keeping from change, loss, injury, etc
  1. protection, preservation, and careful management of natural resources and of the environment
  2. (as modifier)a conservation area

Derived forms of conservation

conservational, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for conservation

conservation
[ kŏn′sûr-vā′shən ]

The protection, preservation, management, or restoration of natural environments and the ecological communities that inhabit them. Conservation is generally held to include the management of human use of natural resources for current public benefit and sustainable social and economic utilization.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.