Showing results for "preserved"

• past participle of preserve.
• past tense form of preserve.

preserved

American  

[pri-zurvd] / prɪˈzɜrvd /

adjective

1. (of food or any perishable substance) prepared by canning, pickling, salting, or the like, or treated by some process to prevent decomposition or fermentation.

   I had never had such fresh-tasting preserved fruit before.

2. kept safe from harm or injury; protected or spared.

   This is a wonderfully preserved example of Mayan cave art.

3. kept up or maintained; kept in good condition or health.

   Tucked in Amsterdam’s inner city is a uniquely preserved 17th-century house from the Dutch Golden Age.

4. kept alive or in existence.

   When I take a portrait photograph, I’m capturing a moment in a life, making it a preserved memory.

5. (of game or fish, natural habitats, etc.) maintained or reserved for continued hunting or fishing, or for private or public use and appreciation.

   New walking trails will be built through the preserved areas of parkland.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of preserve.

Other Word Forms

• semipreserved
  adjective
• unpreserved
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of preserved

First recorded in 1550–60; preserve ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; preserve ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

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Explanation

Something that's preserved is kept in its original state or kept alive and fresh. Preserved artifacts are protected from damage, often in a museum where they can be kept safe. Preserved food is treated in some way that makes it spoil much more slowly than it would otherwise. Sometimes this is done by adding chemical preservatives, and other times it's a more natural process, involving drying, pickling, salting, or canning. Preserved fruit, cooked with sugar and sealed in jars, is also called preserves. These words all stem from the Medieval Latin preservare, "keep safe."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

preserved

It’s not only the chance to see something rare, well-made and lovingly preserved that’s driving people to the movies; it’s the opportunity to make a memory.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

His sentences are quoted in classrooms, cited in essays and preserved in a presidential library.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Its basic functions have been preserved throughout mammalian evolution.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

She added she understood people's concerns around the freshness of the food but her "understanding is that the meals are actually frozen rather than artificially preserved".

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

She and Dorothea hastily preserved caterpillars and reptiles in brandy and packed up live cocoons and lizard eggs in the hope these might hatch during the months at sea.

From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman

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Related Words

• covered
• guaranteed
• guarded
• secured
• sheltered

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