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| pre·serve [ pri zúrv ] |
transitive verb (past and past participle pre·served, present participle pre·serv·ing, 3rd person present singular pre·serves) |
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| Definition: |
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1. make sure something lasts: to keep something protected from anything that would cause its current quality or condition to change or deteriorate or cause it to fall out of use
  They are anxious to preserve the area's rural character.
We need to preserve professional standards of conduct.
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2. maintain something: to keep up or maintain something
She preserved a cool and composed manner throughout the interrogation.
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3. treat food for storage: to treat or store food in such a way as to protect it from decay, e.g. by pickling, drying, salting, freezing, or canning
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4. make jam from something: to make jelly, jam, or marmalade out of a fruit
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5. keep animals in secure area: to rear wild animals, especially fish and birds, in a protected area of water or land, so that they can be fished or shot for sport in the hunting season
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6. protect somebody or something: to protect somebody or something from danger, especially the danger of being killed or damaged
(
formal or literary
)
prayed that they would be preserved from danger
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noun (plural pre·serves) |
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| Definition: |
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1. exclusive area of activity: something that one particular person or group regards as being his, her, or its exclusive concern, or a place kept for one person or group to enjoy exclusively
The children considered the tree house their own preserve.
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2. fruit jelly or jam: a sweet thick foodstuff made by boiling fruit in sugar and water, eaten on bread or in desserts and cakes. Preserves can be kept for several years in airtight jars, bottles, or cans.
(
often used in the plural
)
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3. environment area where wildlife is protected: a piece of water or land owned by the government or a conservation group, where wildlife, plants, or geographic features are protected or where fish or wild animals are bred
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| [14th century. Via French< medieval Latin praeservare "guard beforehand" < Latin servare "keep"] |
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| pre·serv·a·ble adjective |
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