Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “preservative” come from?

Preservative comes from Old French preservatif, from Medieval Latin praeservativus, meaning something that guards or protects in advance.

preservative (English): Any agent, natural or artificial that acts to...

Definitions

  1. Any agent, natural or artificial that acts to...

Ancestry of “preservative”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchpreservatif—
2Medieval Latinpraeservativus—

Words derived from “preservative”

  • cryopreservative
Every word from Medieval Latin praeservativus →