Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Tending to preserve or capable of preserving.
- noun Something used to preserve, especially a chemical added to foods to inhibit spoilage.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Preserving; tending to keep safe, sound, or free from decay: as, the preservative quality of salt.
- noun That which preserves; anything which tends to keep safe and sound, or free from injury, corruption, or decay; a preventive of damage, decomposition, or waste.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Having the power or quality of preserving; tending to preserve, or to keep from injury, decay, etc.
- noun That which preserves, or has the power of preserving; a presevative agent.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun countable any
agent ,natural orartificial that acts topreserve , especially when added tofood - adjective tending to
preserve
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective tending or having the power to preserve
- noun a chemical compound that is added to protect against decay or decomposition
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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I have had some previous experience in this branch of what I call preservative chemistry, and I have already in some degree succeeded in attaining my object.
Jezebel's Daughter Wilkie Collins 1856
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She sealed it with a blue lid fitted with a built-in preservative and sent it back to Kaiser.
Californian’s Volunteer DNA for Largest Human Genome Study Ever Attempted | Impact Lab 2010
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As for Debbie's fear of mercury in vaccines, the only vaccine that might include a mercury-containing preservative is the influenza vaccine, now recommended for all children between 6 months and 5 years of age.
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Thimerosal, as a preservative, is no longer contained in any childhood vaccine, with the exception of the influenza vaccine.
Thimerosal 2010
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So yes vaccine preservative is yet another junk science scare, leading to mothers reluctant to inoculate their children.
Matthew Yglesias » January Was the Warmest Temperature in World History 2010
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This use of vinegar as a flavoring as well as a preservative is reflected in many Mexican regional cuisines.
Preserving The Fall Harvest: Mexican Pickles And Vinaigrettes 2006
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This use of vinegar as a flavoring as well as a preservative is reflected in many Mexican regional cuisines.
Preserving The Fall Harvest: Mexican Pickles And Vinaigrettes 2006
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"It's kind of akin to putting lotion on your hands, so it's a long-term preservative," Camp said.
NBC2 News 2009
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When lemon juice is sprinkled on certain foods that tend to oxidize and turn brown after being sliced, such as apples, bananas and avocados, the acid acts as a short-term preservative by denaturing the enzymes that cause browning and degradation.
Find Me A Cure 2008
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This may be understood either with respect to what immediately precedes, "If you are to reprove others for their sins, and would be faithful to your duty in this particular, you must look well to yourselves, and to your own behaviour and conduct" (and, indeed, those only are fit to reprove others who walk with due circumspection and care themselves): or else we have here another remedy or rather preservative from the before-mentioned sins; and this I take to be the design of the apostle, being impossible to maintain purity and holiness of heart and life without great circumspection and care.
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume VI (Acts to Revelation) 1721
Prolagus commented on the word preservative
Preservativo, in Italian, means condom, while preservative is conservante.
In most cases, you'd better ask for a marmellata senza conservanti.
March 20, 2009
valse commented on the word preservative
Same for préservatif in French--only as funny spoken, though.
March 23, 2009