preserved
Americanadjective
-
(of food or any perishable substance) prepared by canning, pickling, salting, or the like, or treated by some process to prevent decomposition or fermentation.
I had never had such fresh-tasting preserved fruit before.
-
kept safe from harm or injury; protected or spared.
This is a wonderfully preserved example of Mayan cave art.
-
kept up or maintained; kept in good condition or health.
Tucked in Amsterdam’s inner city is a uniquely preserved 17th-century house from the Dutch Golden Age.
-
kept alive or in existence.
When I take a portrait photograph, I’m capturing a moment in a life, making it a preserved memory.
-
(of game or fish, natural habitats, etc.) maintained or reserved for continued hunting or fishing, or for private or public use and appreciation.
New walking trails will be built through the preserved areas of parkland.
verb
Other Word Forms
- semipreserved adjective
- unpreserved adjective
Etymology
Origin of preserved
First recorded in 1550–60; preserve ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; preserve ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Until recently, researchers did not fully understand how this shared identity is preserved across different tissues and even across species.
From Science Daily
DNA from living sponges and chemical traces preserved in ancient rocks indicate they emerged at least 650 million years ago.
From Science Daily
Reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes the discovery of "chemical fossils" preserved in rocks more than 541 million years old.
From Science Daily
The team analyzed modern human DNA preserved in Neanderthals, and found an abundance on the X chromosome -- the mirror opposite of humans.
From Barron's
“We believe we would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros.’ iconic brands, and that our deal would have strengthened the entertainment industry and preserved and created more production jobs in the U.S.,”
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
