Wordwyrt

conserve

/kənˈsɜːv/kuhn-SURV
/kənˈsɝv/kuhn-SURV

Meaningto keep safe

Common meaning: to protect from waste

‘with, together’ + ‘serve as a slave’ → conserve

Journey through time

  1. Latinserviō; servus‘serve as a slave’
  2. Englishconserve‘to protect from waste’ · today

con- also in: convexconveyconcaveconcealconcede

serv also in: serveservantserviceserviledeserve

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin serviō; servus ‘serve as a slave; a slave’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry serviō, p. 1682 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

deservepreservereserveservantserveserviceservile

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