conserve

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

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verb (used with object), con·served, con·serv·ing.

to prevent injury, decay, waste, or loss of: Conserve your strength for the race.

to use or manage (natural resources) wisely; preserve; save: Conserve the woodlands.

Physics, Chemistry. to hold (a property) constant during an interaction or process: the interaction conserved linear momentum.

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

noun

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

Origin of conserve

1325–75; (v.) Middle English < Latin conservāre to save, preserve, equivalent to con- con- + servāre to watch over, guard (akin to servus slave, servīre to serve); (noun) Middle English < Middle French conserve, noun derivative of conserver < Latin, as above

Related formscon·serv·er, nounnon·con·serv·ing, adjective, nounself-con·serv·ing, adjectiveun·con·served, adjectiveun·con·serv·ing, adjectivewell-con·served, adjective

Synonyms for conserve

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conserve ON THESAURUS.COM

2. husband, safeguard.

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

Related Words for conserve

preserve, safeguard, maintain, sustain, hoard, skimp, support, stash, steward, scrimp, nurse, keep, squirrel

Examples from the Web for conserve

Contemporary Examples of conserve

At Belmont, jockeys must not let their horse run too hard too early, and conserve some energy for the half-mile-long backstretch.
Why California Chrome’s Fairy Tale Didn’t End Happily Ever After
Michael Fensom
June 8, 2014
I am seeking to conserve nothing; I am looking ahead—and I am quite confident that I am not alone.
America Is Coming to Terms with Its Racial Past—Let’s Look Ahead Instead
John McWhorter
May 22, 2014
It sent its last picture 13 years ago, just before shutting down its camera to conserve power.
Voyager Is Sending Us the Sounds of Interstellar Space
Josh Dzieza
September 14, 2013
Districts may also employ additional tactics to conserve resources.
The Real Juvenile Offenders
Daniela Drake
June 22, 2013
Doing so lets them conserve cash and maintain flexibility in pricing.
Hurricane Sandy’s Economic Sucker Punch
Daniel Gross
November 5, 2012

Historical Examples of conserve

He could preach, but could not conserve the results of his preaching.
Peter the Hermit
Daniel A. Goodsell
In the evening you are tired and you should conserve your strength.
Evening Round Up
William Crosbie Hunter
The most important principle is to conserve every particle of moisture in the soil.
Checking the Waste
Mary Huston Gregory
Let us sum up how the various resources may be used to conserve one another.
Checking the Waste
Mary Huston Gregory
In the canning of tomatoes, why is it desirable to conserve the juices?
Human Foods and Their Nutritive Value
Harry Snyder

British Dictionary definitions for conserve

conserve

verb (kənˈsɜːv) (tr)

to keep or protect from harm, decay, loss, etc

to preserve (a foodstuff, esp fruit) with sugar

noun (ˈkɒnsɜːv, kənˈsɜːv)

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

Derived Formsconservable, adjectiveconserver, noun

Word Origin for conserve

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

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 conserve

late 14c., from Old French conserver (9c.), from Latin conservare "to keep, preserve, keep intact, guard," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + servare "keep watch, maintain" (see observe). Related: Conserved; conserving. As a noun (often conserves) from late 14c.