Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To keep from injury, peril, or harm; protect. synonym: defend.
- intransitive verb To keep in perfect or unaltered condition; maintain unchanged.
- intransitive verb To keep or maintain intact.
- intransitive verb To prepare (food) for storage or future use, as by canning or salting.
- intransitive verb To prevent (organic bodies) from decaying or spoiling.
- intransitive verb To protect (wildlife or natural resources) in a designated area, often for regulated hunting or fishing.
- intransitive verb To maintain (an area) for the protection of wildlife or natural resources.
- intransitive verb To treat fruit or other foods so as to prevent decay.
- intransitive verb To maintain an area for the protection of wildlife or natural resources.
- noun Something that acts to preserve; a preservative.
- noun Fruit cooked with sugar to protect against decay or fermentation.
- noun An area maintained for the protection of wildlife or natural resources.
- noun Something considered as being the exclusive province of certain persons.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To keep safe or free from harm; defend from injury or destruction; save.
- To maintain; secure permanence to; keep in existence or alive; make lasting: as, to
preserve one's good looks. - To keep possession of; retain.
- To prepare in such a manner as to resist decomposition or fermentation; prevent from spoiling by the use of preservative substances, with or without the agency of heat: as, to
preserve meats or fruit; to preserve an anatomical specimen. - To maintain and reserve for personal or special use in hunting or fishing.
- To prepare decomposable substances, as meats or fruits, for preservation; make preserves.
- To raise and protect game for special use, as in hunting or fishing.
- noun That which preserves or saves.
- noun Specifically plural A kind of spectacles with colored glasses to protect the eyes from too strong light.
- noun That which is preserved, or prepared for keeping; especially, fruit, meats, etc., suitably seasoned and cooked to prevent fermentation or spoiling.
- noun A place where game is preserved; a place set apart for the protection and propagation of game intended for hunting or fishing.
- noun A thing preserved.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To make preserves.
- intransitive verb To protect game for purposes of sport.
- transitive verb To keep or save from injury or destruction; to guard or defend from evil, harm, danger, etc.; to protect.
- transitive verb To save from decay by the use of some preservative substance, as sugar, salt, etc.; to season and prepare for remaining in a good state, as fruits, meat, etc..
- transitive verb To maintain throughout; to keep intact
- transitive verb to protect it from extermination.
- noun That which is preserved; fruit, etc., seasoned and kept by suitable preparation; esp., fruit cooked with sugar; -- commonly in the plural.
- noun A place in which game, fish, etc., are preserved for purposes of sport, or for food.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A sweet spread made of any of a variety of berries.
- noun A
nature preserve . - verb To
protect ; tokeep ; tomaintain thecondition of.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb to keep up and reserve for personal or special use
- noun a reservation where animals are protected
- verb maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger
- verb keep undisturbed for personal or private use for hunting, shooting, or fishing
- verb keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last
- verb prevent (food) from rotting
- noun a domain that seems to be specially reserved for someone
- verb keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction
- noun fruit preserved by cooking with sugar
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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PS - the preserve is a lonnnnng walk and no facilities or supplies - Carry lotsa water
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One of the rights we intend to preserve is to keep Ontario a strong and vigorous factor in the building of an ever stronger British Commonwealth and Empire.
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Dolphin added: "The only pledge that we would preserve is higher funding for international development, not only because it is a relatively small amount of spending (although it is) but in recognition of the urgency of providing more funds to low-income countries badly hit by a financial crisis not of their making."
Don't spare the NHS from cuts, says leftwing thinktank Larry Elliott 2010
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In fact, the subsidized private program that Boehner and Enzi want to preserve is called the Federal Family Education Loan Program.
Think Progress » Boehner Claims Student Loan Reform Will ‘Eliminate Every Bank In The Country’ 2010
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The preserve is ready and can be consumed refrigerated for a week.
Fig Sauce Anjali 2007
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The preserve is ready and can be consumed refrigerated for a week.
Archive 2007-05-01 Anjali 2007
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Setting up a nature preserve is under consideration.
Archive 2007-10-01 2007
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The word preserve should be understood with some caution because if one imagines it superficially then it depicts more pain than happiness.
Reading Shakespeare 2008
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Extensively updated on the inside, and a nature preserve is in the backyard.
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This preserve is beautiful on it's own on an english muffin or traditional american biscuit.
On Eating Flowers: Walnut Cake with Roses Lindy 2006
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