preservative
- tending to preserve.
Origin of preservative
Related Words for preservative
vinegar, conservatory, defensive, conservative, chemical, salt, alcohol, formaldehyde, saltpeter, precautionary, protectiveExamples from the Web for preservative
Contemporary Examples of preservative
Thimerosal was dropped as a preservative in MMR vaccines in 1999, but since then autism rates have skyrocketed.
Historical Examples of preservative
It was told to me as a preservative against the danger of loving her.
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
Bodies in the dissecting-rooms are injected with preservative fluid.
I took that body along, encased in the Martian preservative, solidifex.
The Long VoyageCarl Richard Jacobi
Indeed, the preservative virtues of the cold struck me with astonishment.
The Frozen PirateW. Clark Russell
As an example of the action of lime as a preservative of lumber.
preservative
- something that preserves or tends to preserve, esp a chemical added to foods to inhibit decomposition
- tending or intended to preserve
Word Origin and History for preservative
late 14c., from Old French preservatif and directly from Medieval Latin praeservativus, from stem of praeservare (see preserve (v.)). The noun is from early 15c., "a preservative medication;" sense of "chemical added to foods to keep them from rotting" is from 1875.
preservative
(prĭ-zûr′və-tĭv)- A substance added to food products or to organic solutions to prevent decomposition due to chemical change or bacterial action.