preservare

to preserve, to protect

verb preh-zer-VAH-reh Rare

Origin: From Latin praeservare, 'to keep safe beforehand'.

Usage Note

Preservare is used for both physical preservation (preservare i cibi — 'to preserve food') and abstract protection (preservare la pace — 'to preserve peace'). It is slightly more formal than conservare. The noun preservativo is a false friend to watch: it means 'condom', not 'food preservative' (that is conservante).

Examples

"Dobbiamo preservare l'ambiente per le future generazioni."

Natural Translation

We must preserve the environment for future generations.

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