conserve

[ verb kuhn-surv; noun kon-surv, kuhn-surv ]

verb (used with object)

, con·served, con·serv·ing.

1. to prevent injury, decay, waste, or loss of:

   Conserve your strength for the race.

2. to use or manage (natural resources) wisely; preserve; save:

   Conserve the woodlands.

   Synonyms: safeguard, husband

3. Physics, Chemistry. to hold (a property) constant during an interaction or process:

   the interaction conserved linear momentum.

4. to preserve (fruit) by cooking with sugar or syrup.

noun

1. Often conserves. a mixture of several fruits cooked to jamlike consistency with sugar and often garnished with nuts and raisins.

conserve

verb

1. to keep or protect from harm, decay, loss, etc
2. to preserve (a foodstuff, esp fruit) with sugar

noun

1. a preparation of fruit in sugar, similar to jam but usually containing whole pieces of fruit

Derived Forms

• conˈservable, adjective
• conˈserver, noun

Other Words From

• con·server noun
• noncon·serving adjective noun
• self-con·serving adjective
• uncon·served adjective
• uncon·serving adjective
• well-con·served adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of conserve¹

First recorded in 1325–75; (for the verb) Middle English, from Latin conservāre “to save, preserve”; equivalent to con- + serve; (for the noun) Middle English, from Middle French conserve, noun derivative of conserver, from Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of conserve¹

(vb) C14: from Latin conservāre to keep safe, from servāre to save, protect; (n) C14: from Medieval Latin conserva, from Latin conservāre

Example Sentences

At Belmont, jockeys must not let their horse run too hard too early, and conserve some energy for the half-mile-long backstretch.

From The Daily Beast

I am seeking to conserve nothing; I am looking ahead—and I am quite confident that I am not alone.

From The Daily Beast

It sent its last picture 13 years ago, just before shutting down its camera to conserve power.

From The Daily Beast

Districts may also employ additional tactics to conserve resources.

From The Daily Beast

The agreement is hardly more than a list of ways that local communities can better conserve natural resources.

From The Daily Beast

It will not conserve Christianity, but may be purified by it, even if able to flourish without it.

From Project Gutenberg

Barrington back into the present, to conserve his energies, to make him a man of action again.

From Project Gutenberg

Boil together a few times, and then pour the conserve into cases.

From Project Gutenberg

You have heard how women strive to conserve the lives of children, to make them strong mentally, morally and physically.

From Project Gutenberg

There is simply one way to conserve our natural resources, and that is to educate the farmer (applause).

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• hoard
• maintain
• preserve
• safeguard
• sustain
• take care of