preservation
prez-ur-VAY-shuhn/ˌpɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/Sayprez-uh-VAY-shuhnUK/ˌpɹɛz.əˈveɪ.ʃən/AUS/ˌpɹez.əˈvæɪ.ʃən/
- 1The act of keeping something from destruction, decay, or harm, including the care taken to maintain it.
The preservation of historical records depends on stable temperature and low humidity.
Wildlife preservation requires protecting both the animals and the habitats they depend on.
Similarconservation, protection, maintenance, upkeep, safekeeping
Oppositedestruction, neglect
- 2The condition in which something has survived, considered as how intact or unspoiled it remains.
The manuscript's remarkable preservation allowed scholars to read nearly every line.
Despite the shipwreck, the cargo's state of preservation surprised the divers.
Similarcondition
Oppositedecay, deterioration
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Origin
From Old French preservacion, from Medieval Latin preservatio; morphologically 'preserve' plus '-ation'.