- preserve (v.)
- late 14c., from O.Fr. preserver, from M.L. preservare "keep, preserve," from L.L. pręservare "guard beforehand," from L. prę- "before" + servare "to keep safe" (see observe). The noun sense of "fruit preserved with sugar" is from c.1600; that of "protected place for animals or plants" (a sense more properly belonging to conserve) is from 1807. Preservationist "advocate of protecting historic property" is recorded from 1927. Preservative (adj.) is attested from late 14c.; the noun sense of "chemical added to foods to keep them from rotting" is from 1875.