English
conservatism
Conservatism comes from Latin conservō ‘to conserve’, from servus ‘a slave’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *serwos ‘guardian?’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*serwos‘guardian?’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEservos
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEservus‘a slave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEservō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconservōas cōnservāre‘to conserve’
- Englishearliest quotation 2009conservatism
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*serwos‘guardian?’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEservos
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEservus‘a slave’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEservō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconservōas cōnservāre‘to conserve’
- Englishearliest quotation 2009conservatism
Earliest quotation: 2009, Jack P. Greene, Exclusionary Empire: English Liberty Overseas: “Oddly, with the liberals and radicals in power in…”
Formed from conservative + -ism
Latin servō ‘to keep, protect’
Latin cōnservō ‘to preserve’
Middle French conservatif
English conservative
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ser- ‘to guard, take care’
series, sort, stream, hero, desert, insert, exert, heresy, sermon, assertion, sorcery, sorcerer, assertive, concierge, heretic, sark, strudel, sere, 33 more
through Old Latin servos
through Latin servus ‘a slave’
service, serve, servitude, serf, servile, 9 more
through Latin servō
Today it means
noun A political philosophy that advocates traditional values.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *serwos / conservatism