conservatory

[kuh n-sur-vuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]

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noun, plural con·serv·a·to·ries.

a school giving instruction in one or more of the fine or dramatic arts; specifically, a school of music.

a greenhouse, usually attached to a dwelling, for growing and displaying plants.

Archaic. a place where things are preserved.

adjective

serving or adapted to conserve; preservative.

Origin of conservatory

1555–65; < Latin conservā(re) (see conserve) + -tory²; in the sense “music school” < French or Italian; see conservatoire

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for conservatory

nursery, glasshouse

Examples from the Web for conservatory

Contemporary Examples of conservatory

They meet generally in the Kiev Conservatory, an imposing 1890s-era building overlooking Independence Square.
Inside The EuroMaidan’s Circle Of Trust
Jamie Dettmer
March 10, 2014
He used his savings for the voyage across the Atlantic, but was left with no tuition money to attend the conservatory.
The Black Count of Russia
Noah Charney
March 17, 2013
Or the latest suspects: Martha Raddatz and Candy Crowley in the conservatory with the lead pipe.
Republicans Allowed Karl Rove to Mislead Them Again
Matt Latimer
November 17, 2012
Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, he earned a degree in fine arts from the renowned Boston Conservatory of Music.
Broadway's New Queen
Itay Hod
March 17, 2011
By night, sit inside the main dining room; by day, try the conservatory up front.
How to Get the VIP Treatment in Moscow
Jolie Hunt
February 27, 2010

Historical Examples of conservatory

Every window was filled with them, until the room seemed like a conservatory.
The Yates Pride
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
We were alone, Effie was attending to her plants in the conservatory.
Graham's Magazine Vol. XXXII No. 2. February 1848
Various
They heard a crash in the conservatory, but both were too excited to mind it.
Pretty Madcap Dorothy
Laura Jean Libbey
Was it the hand of fate most terrible that guided her toward the conservatory?
Pretty Madcap Dorothy
Laura Jean Libbey
I opened the conservatory door, and in he rushed like a hunted rabbit.
Masterpieces of Mystery
Various

British Dictionary definitions for conservatory

conservatory

noun plural -tories

a greenhouse, esp one attached to a house

another word for conservatoire

adjective

preservative

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

Word Origin and History for conservatory

1560s, "preservative;" 1660s, "greenhouse," from stem of conservation + -ory. In sense "school for performing arts" it is recorded from 1842, from Italian conservatorio or French conservatoire, originally "hospital for foundlings in which musical education was given."