Words / B2

pri-ZURV/prɪˈzɜːv/

To preserve is to keep something undamaged or unchanged: preserve scripts; preserve a habitat. Save is everyday; conserve often means using less. The trust must preserve scripts until the enquiry window closes. Noun: a preserve (jam) or a wildlife preserve. Do not use preserve for a quick photocopy.

Meaning

To keep something as it is, especially so it is not damaged or lost.

Examples

• “The trust must preserve scripts until the enquiry window closes.”
• “Salt was used to preserve the sample, which is the science sense.”

Good to know

preserve evidence / a building / a species. Everyday: save. Close: conserve. Noun: preservation. Archives, ecology, and food science. Keep as it is.

Near in meaning

conserve

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