preservation

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˌprez.əˈveɪ.ʃən/, US /ˌprez.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Old French preservacion (13th century),^[2][3][4] from Medieval Latin praeservātiō,^[2][3] a noun from the past participle of praeservāre, to guard beforehand, keep (see preserve).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Protection from disease: the early 15th century.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The general sense, protection or keeping safe, is from the mid-15th century,^[2] 1472 in the OED.^[5] The state of being preserved, well or badly, is from 1751,^[5] and a preservation order, obliging an owner to preserve a building or trees, from 1947.^[5]

Timeline

• early 15th century – protection from disease.^[2]
• 1472 – the act of preserving.^[5]
• 1584 – a preservative (obsolete).^[5]
• 1751 – the state of being preserved.^[5]
• 1947 – preservation order.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The act of preserving something, or of keeping it in its original or good condition.
2. The state of being preserved: in a good state of preservation.

Word family

• preservationist
• cryopreservation
• nonpreservation
• self-preservation

Related words

• preserve
• conserve
• reserve
• observe

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press