English
conserve
Conserve comes from Old French conserver ‘to keep’, from Latin 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 CEservo‘keep watch, maintain’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconservare‘to keep, preserve’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400conserver‘to keep’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500conserven
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1700conserve
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 CEservo‘keep watch, maintain’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconservare‘to keep, preserve’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400conserver‘to keep’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500conserven
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1700conserve
Earliest quotation: c. 1700, John Evelyn: “water[…]alwayes placed in the Conserve”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ser- ‘to guard, take care’
sort, series, stream, hero, desert, insert, assertion, heresy, exert, sermon, sorcery, sorcerer, heretic, assertive, sark, concierge, strudel, sere, 34 more
through Old Latin servos
through Latin servus ‘a slave’
service, servitude, serf, servile, 10 more
through Latin servo ‘keep watch, maintain’
Today it means
noun Wilderness where human development is prohibited.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *serwos / conserve