preservative

[pri-zur-vuh-tiv]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR preservative ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

something that preserves or tends to preserve.

a chemical substance used to preserve foods or other organic materials from decomposition or fermentation.

adjective

tending to preserve.

Origin of preservative

1350–1400; Middle English (adj. and noun) < Middle French preservatif (adj.) < Medieval Latin praeservātīvus. See preserve, -ative

Related formsnon·pre·serv·a·tive, adjective

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

Related Words for preservative

vinegar, conservatory, defensive, conservative, chemical, salt, alcohol, formaldehyde, saltpeter, precautionary, protective

Examples 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.
U.S. Debunks Autism Myth
Adam Winkler
March 13, 2010

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.
The Strand Magazine, Volume V, Issue 25, January 1893
Various
I took that body along, encased in the Martian preservative, solidifex.
The Long Voyage
Carl Richard Jacobi
Indeed, the preservative virtues of the cold struck me with astonishment.
The Frozen Pirate
W. Clark Russell
As an example of the action of lime as a preservative of lumber.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 647, May 26, 1888
Various

British Dictionary definitions for preservative

preservative

noun

something that preserves or tends to preserve, esp a chemical added to foods to inhibit decomposition

adjective

tending or intended to preserve

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 preservative

adj.

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 in Medicine

preservative

[prĭ-zûr′və-tĭv]

n.

A substance added to food products or to organic solutions to prevent decomposition due to chemical change or bacterial action.