PRESERVE

I. verb (~d; preserving) see: conserve Date: 14th century transitive verb to keep safe from injury, harm, or destruction ; protect , 2. to keep alive, intact, or free from decay, maintain , 3. to keep or save from decomposition, to can, pickle, or similarly prepare for future use, to keep up and reserve for personal or special use, intransitive verb to make ~s, to raise and protect game for purposes of sport, to be able to be ~d (as by canning), preservability noun preservable adjective preservation noun ~r noun II. noun Date: 1600 fruit canned or made into jams or jellies or cooked whole or in large pieces in a syrup so as to keep its shape, an area restricted for the protection and preservation of natural resources (as animals or plants) , something regarded as reserved for certain persons