preserve

Universal Words verb, noun verb 1 [VN] to keep a particular quality, feature, etc.; to make sure that sth is kept: He was anxious to preserve his reputation. * Efforts to preserve the peace have failed. * She managed to preserve her sense of humour under very trying circumstances. 2 [oftenpassive] to keep sth in its original state in good condition: [VN] a perfectly preserved 14th-century house * (humorous) Is he really 60? He's remarkably well preserved. * [VN-ADJ] This vase has been preserved intact. 3 [VN] to prevent sth, especially food, from decaying by treating it in a particular way: olives preserved in brine * Wax polish preserves wood and leather. 4 [VN] ~ sb/sth (from sth) to keep sb/sth alive, or safe from harm or danger: The society was set up to preserve endangered species from extinction. compareCONSERVE noun 1 [sing.] ~ (of sb) an activity, a job, an interest, etc. that is thought to be suitable for one particular person or group of people: Football is no longer the preserve of men. * in the days when nursing was a female preserve 2 [C,usually pl.,U] a type of jam made by boiling fruit with a large amount of sugar 3 [C,usually pl.,U] (especially BrE) a type of PICKLE made by cooking vegetables with salt or VINEGAR 4 [C] (AmE) = RESERVE(2) 5 [C] an area of private land or water where animals and fish are kept for people to hunt