conservationn.
/ˌkɒnsəˈveɪʃn/, U.S. /ˌkɑnsərˈveɪʃən/ 1. † c. Observance, keeping of a commandment. Obsolete.† d. The action or practice of taking care of and looking after domestic animals. Obsolete.
a. The action or process of conserving; preservation of life, health, perfection, etc.; (also) preservation from destructive influences, natural decay, or waste.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > preservation from injury or destruction > [noun] > preservation from decay, loss, or destruction
conservationa1398
conserving1413
reservationa1555
conservancy1613
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. xlvii. 1312 Bitter þinges..haueþ þilke þre þat nedeþ to conseruacioun and sauyng.
?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) iii. pr. xi. l. 2759 In conseruacioun of hyr beynge and endurynge.
a1530 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfeccyon (1531) iii. f. Clxxxxviv Of whome all creatures hath theyr beynge & conseruacion.
1542 A. Borde Compend. Regyment Helth xxxviii. sig. N.ii For the conseruacion of helth.
1662 J. Pearson Expos. Creed (ed. 2) i. 29 Unto this act of Creation is annexed that of conservation.
1682 Philos. Coll. (Royal Soc.) No. 4. 104 An Universal Balsamation, or Conservation of all things Animal, or Vegetable.
1710 G. Berkeley Treat. Princ. Human Knowl. §46 Matter..cannot subsist without the divine conservation.
1832 C. Lyell Princ. Geol. (ed. 2) II. iii. xlvii. 256 There are circumstances accompanying a wreck which favour the conservation of skeletons.
1862 E. Bulwer-Lytton Strange Story II. xxxiii. 253 Capacities..designed by Providence for the distinct use and conservation of the species to which they are given.
1910 I. Fisher National Vitality 747 It is obvious that by the conservation of health we may ultimately save billions of dollars.
1995 M. Oelschlaeger in D. Rothenberg Wild Ideas iii. 42 How is it that the idea of wilderness can be translated into a meaningful framework for the conservation of life?
b. Preservation of existing conditions, institutions, rights, peace, order, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > change > absence of change, changelessness > maintaining state or condition > [noun]
maintenancec1390
sustentation1425
keepingc1430
conservationc1447
sustenation1496
maintainment?c1500
intertenure1537
containing1567
sustainment1568
maintain1599
manutention1603
manutenency?1630
continuance1691
conservancy1884
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > preservation from injury or destruction > [noun] > preservation in being or maintenance > specifically of existing conditions, institutions, etc.
conservationc1447
conservancya1500
retention1625
c1447 Queen Margaret To King in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. Introd. p. lxiii (MED) So that..may be founded and stablisshed the seid so called Quenes collage, to conseruacion of oure feith and augmentacion of pure clergie.
1460 in Paston Lett. (1904) III. 221 For the tendre love that we have to the concervacion of the Kyngs peas.
?c1500 Killing of Children (Digby) l. 109 In conseruacion of my tytell of right.
1533 T. More Debellacyon Salem & Bizance i. iv. f. xxvii Zeal..to the conseruacyon of the catholyque fayth.
1581 W. Lambarde Eirenarcha i. iii. 14 The Conestable Marshall of the Queenes house..may see to the Conseruation of the peace within the same house.
1678 V. Alsop Melius Inquirendum i. iv. 221 He to whom the Conservation of the publick peace is Committed, is accountable to God, if through his default it be violated.
1716 Independent Power of Church xx. 41 The Empire was then Christian, and the State..come into the Church, and engaged for its Protection, and the Conservation of its Rights.
1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 99. ⁋1 Ordained by providence for the conservation of order.
1845 Littell's Living Age 21 June 551 We trust parliament will never..be so far misled by the clamor of interested parties as to sacrifice to it..one opportunity for the conservation of peace.
1864 J. F. Kirk Hist. Charles the Bold (U.S. ed.) II. iv. iv. 449 For the conservation of existing territorial limits.
2007 Philippine Daily Inquirer (Nexis) 3 Sept. The Courts..will protect..any inhabitant of the Republic in his exercise and conservation of those rights conceded to him by the Constitution.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > carrying out > observance or carrying out a promise, law, etc. > [noun]
fulfilling1340
keepingc1380
observancea1393
observation?a1425
solemnityc1440
observing1458
conservation1544
observancy1609
the mind > language > speech > agreement > observance > [noun]
i-kepyngec1230
heed1357
keepingc1380
observancea1393
observation?a1425
contemplation1440
observing1458
conscience1483
conservation1544
heedfulness1561
heediness1596
religion1597
observancy1609
punctualness1620
punctuality1622
heeding1678
adherence1715
1544 Exhort. vnto Prayer sig. A.iiii The true conseruation of our heauenlye fathers..commandementis.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > [noun]
rearinga1398
nourishing1615
conservation1646
zoosophy1662
culture1744
cultivation1791
zoogeny1826
zootechny1841
stock-keeping1844
ranching1851
conditioning1861
zootechnics1863
zooculture1873
zootrophy1877
animaliculture1879
mothering1922
stockmanship1959
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica iii. xxi. 162 This way of nutrition was answerable unto the principles of his generation; which being not ayrie, but grosse and seminall in the Chameleon, unto its conservation there is required a solid pasture, and a food congenerous unto the principles of its nature. View more context for this quotation
1658 J. Rowland tr. T. Moffett Theater of Insects in Topsell's Hist. Four-footed Beasts (rev. ed.) 898 To the conservation or keeping of Bees.
a1667 A. Cowley Agric. in Wks. (1668) 101 Rural Oeconomy..would contain the Government of Bees, Swine, Poultry..and the Domestical conservation and uses of all that is brought in by Industry abroad.
e. The preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment and of wildlife; the practice of seeking to prevent the wasteful use of a resource in order to ensure its continuing availability.energy, nature conservation, etc.: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > preservation from injury or destruction > [noun] > preservation from decay, loss, or destruction > environmental policy of
conservation1875
wise use1989
1875 Trans. New Zealand Inst. 7 182 The attention of the Austral Colonies has not been directed to the conservation and creation of forests one moment too soon.
1909 Geogr. Jrnl. 34 682 The opinion is expressed that it is only the primary forest which would repay systematic attempts at conservation.
1913 W. McCulloh Conservation of Water v. 99 The work done by the State of New York toward the..conservation of her water resources is an exemplification of what may be done by..other states.
1937 Life 26 July 53/1 (advt.) Just 10 short years ago, America went through an epidemic of putting reclaimed rubber in tires..based on the false premise of rubber conservation.
2007 R. Lovegrove Silent Fields vii. 244 Nowadays, the Otter is a totemic symbol of successful wildlife conservation in Britain.
f. The preservation or restoration of archaeological artefacts, historical sites, works or art, etc., by means of specialized techniques.
ΚΠ
1937 H. J. Plenderleith (title) The conservation of prints, drawings and manuscripts.
1967 Antiquaries Jrnl. 47 231 The shale trencher..was subsequently transferred to a plate glass panel..for transport to the Research Laboratory of the British Museum where its conservation was undertaken.
1981 Amer. Libraries May 288/1 Although work-bench conservation practitioners are much needed, the priority at the moment is for people who will develop ways to slow deterioration of the whole collection.
1993 S. Buys & V. Oakley Conservation & Restoration of Ceramics p. vi The conservation of artefacts and buildings has a long history.
2008 Canberra Times (Nexis) 21 June After its conservation, the painting was returned to Spain.
g. Molecular Biology. The maintenance of an unchanged sequence of nucleic acids in a gene, or amino acids in a protein, esp. over generations or in different organisms, typically indicating functional significance or evolutionary preservation.
ΚΠ
1965 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 54 496 The conservation of sRNA and ribosomes seems to be general.
1990 Nucleic Acids Res. 18 232/1 Two nucleotides altered in the coding region of rps14 lead to non-silent codon changes and improve conservation of the rps14 amino acid sequence.
2007 T. Friend Third Domain iii. 73 If a gene is working fine for instructing a cell to manufacture a particular protein in a microbe, nature will use the same gene with only slight variations in the order of its code to perform the same task in other species of microbes as well as in humans. This phenomenon is called the ‘conservation of genes’.
2. Official charge and care of rivers, sewers, forests, etc.; (also) a body charged with this (rare). Cf. conservancy n. 2. Now chiefly historical, and merging with sense 1e.Quot. 1490 in N.E.D. in fact reads ‘conservacie’.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > types of body or spec. bodies > [noun] > commission > other types of commission
conservacy1434
conservice1571
conservation1580
conservancy1618
Royal Commission1747
county commission1763
railroad commission1855
Audit Commission1866
European Commission1956
Countryside Commission1964
Truth and Reconciliation Commission1990
Truth Commission1991
1580 J. Stow Chrons. of Eng. 864 It was ordayned by Parliament, the Maior of London to haue conseruation of the riuer of Thamis, from the bridge of Stanes, vnto the Waters of Yendale, and Medway.
1657 J. Howell Londinopolis 38 Then is there a Court for the conservation of the water & River of Thames.
1691 T. Hale Acct. New Inventions 66 The conservation of all the Royal Rivers of England.
a1733 H. Bourne Hist. Newcastle (1736) xiii. 159 The Right and Title of the Mayor and Burgesses of the Town and County of the Town of Newcastle upon Tyne, to the Soil, and also the Conservation of the River of Tyne.
1768 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. III. 74 The safe-guard and conservation of the sewers within their commission.
1800 P. Colquhoun Treat. Commerce & Police R. Thames x. 289 Successive Sovereigns..granted the Conservation of the River Thames..to the Mayor and Commonalty of London.
1888 Pall Mall Gaz. 4 Apr. 5/1 [French forests] There are thirty-five conservations. Over each there is a conservateur, who has generally an assistant.
1901 J. B. Greenough & G. L. Kittredge Words & their Ways vii. 90 He was a Collector of the Customs, a Superintendent of Buildings, and an officer in charge of what we should now call the Thames Conservation.
1904 Times 19 July 5/4 The conservation of the river upon which the great city [sc. Shanghai] stands, with its six million tons per annum of British shipping, is of vital importance.
1923 G. C. Williamson Curious Survivals xvi. 244 In 1605 a charter of King James admitted that the City for time out of mind had exercised the conservation of the Thames.
2008 S. Utick Captain Charles vii. 93 The conservation of forests again received his attention. Speaking in support of a Canterbury Forest Trees Bill, Charles warned that [etc.].
3. Physics. The constancy of the total quantity of a measurable physical property in a system not subject to external influence, or spec. in the universe; a principle or law expressing this. Cf. correlation of forces at correlation n. 2.The term originally referred to energy (so conservation of energy, also conservation of force) and the concept was soon extended to mass (mass n.2 5b), until mass was recognized as a form of energy. Subsequently other quantities were recognized as being conserved, either absolutely or partially: momentum (both linear and angular), electric charge, parity, etc. [The term originated with Leibniz (see quot. a1716), who used it with reference to ‘vis viva’, the old name for energy (energy n. 6a(a)). J. R. Mayer (see quot. 1842) is generally regarded as the first person to formulate a law of conservation of energy. J. P. Joule independently came to a similar conclusion in 1843 ( Philos. Mag. 23 263, 347, and 435) on the basis of his experiments on the mechanical equivalent of heat. The principle became generally acknowledged following the publication of Helmholtz's book (quot. 1847). Compare French conservation des forces vives (18th cent.), conservation de la Force absolue (a1716 in Leibniz: see quot. a1716), post-classical Latin conservatio virium vivarum (18th cent.; compare quots. 1779 and 1796):]
a1716 G. W. Leibniz Werke (1860) VI. 217 C'est à dire la conservation de la Force absolue.
1779 Philos. Trans. 1778 (Royal Soc.) 68 366 Both these conclusions are derived by this author [sc. D. Bernoulli] from the principle, which they call the conservatio virium vivarum.
1796 C. Hutton Math. & Philos. Dict. (new ed.) I. 495/2 Mr. Dan. Bernoulli..has assumed the preservation of the Vis Ascendens of Huygens, or, as others express it, the Conservatio Virium Vivarum.
1842 J. R. Mayer in Ann. der Chem. u. Pharm. 42 236 Das Gesetz der Erhaltung lebendiger Kräfte.
1847 H. L. F. von Helmholtz (title) Über die Erhaltung der Kraft, eine physikalische Abhandlung.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > mechanics > force > [noun] > principle of conservation of
conservation of force1754
persistence of energy1858
the world > matter > physics > energy or power of doing work > [noun] > conservation of
conservation of energy1853
persistence of energy1858
energy conservation1878
1754 W. Emerson Princ. Mech. i. 26 The conservation of the vis viva can only take place when the bodies are perfectly elastic.
1841 Penny Cycl. XXI. 307/1 The high tide at Chepstow is accounted for on ‘the principle of the conservation of force’.
1853 W. J. M. Rankine in London, Edinb., & Dublin Philos. Mag. 4th Ser. 5 106 The law of the conservation of energy is already known, viz. that the sum of the actual and potential energies in the universe is unchangeable.
1862 W. R. Grove On Correlation Physical Forces (ed. 4) p. vii Several of the great mathematicians of a much earlier period advocated the idea of what they termed the Conservation of Force.
1873 B. Stewart Conservation of Energy Introd. 5 The modern doctrine of the Conservation of Energy or Correlation of Forces.
1884 B. Bosanquet et al. tr. H. Lotze Metaphysic 363 One of the simplest of these truths appears to be the invariability and the conservation of mass.
1928 A. S. Eddington Nature Physical World xi. 236 The field laws—conservation of energy, mass, momentum and of electric change..are not controlling laws. They are truisms.
1936 N. Feather Introd. Nucl. Physics viii. 131 Energy is said to undergo ‘materialisation’, with conservation of electric charge, in these transformations.
1957 Times 11 Nov. 11/5 The launching of an Earth satellite is of less fundamental importance than..the failure of the law of parity conservation.
1970 Nature 19 Dec. 1144/1 A free photon cannot interact with a free electron without violating the conservation of energy.
1988 J. D. Barrow & F. J. Tipler Anthropic Cosmol. Princ. (rev. ed.) iv. 282 This is introduced because Maxwell's equations imply charge conservation.
1994 P. Davies Last Three Minutes iv. 40 Spin is a form of angular momentum, and there is a law of conservation of angular momentum.
2004 B. Bunch & A. Hellemans Hist. Sci. & Technol. 555 (caption) One ionizing particle suddenly decayed into two,..and the decay could not be explained by charge, parity, or mass conservation.
4. conservation of areas n. [after French conservation des aires (1808 in the passage translated in quot. 1809)] chiefly Astronomy the describing of equal areas in equal times by a line joining a planet, satellite, etc., to the body which it is orbiting.The fact is covered by Kepler's second law (see Kepler's laws n. at law n.1 17c(a)).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > planet > planetary movement > [noun]
conservation of areas1809
1809 J. Pond tr. P. S. Laplace Syst. World I. iii. v. 377 This..principle differs from that of the uniform motion of the centre of gravity, of the conservation of areas, and of the vis viva.
1837 W. Whewell Hist. Inductive Sci. II. 119 I may mention the principle of the conservation of areas, which extends to any number of bodies a law analogous to that which Kepler had observed respecting the areas described by each planet round the sun.
1867 E. B. Denison Astron. without Math. (ed. 3) 203 This is called the law of conservation of areas; and it is only the same thing in other words as saying that the angular velocity in any given orbit varies inversely as the square of the distance.
1909 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 48 121 Laplace himself constantly uses the same principle, in the law of conservation of areas, though he does not apply it to the development of our system.
1951 Science 26 Jan. 87/1 It follows necessarily from the conservation of areas, but is by no means a concealed constant of motion.
5. faculty of conservation n. Psychology and Philosophy (now rare) the power of retaining knowledge (as distinguished from the faculty of reproduction or reminiscence, the power of recalling it).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > psychology > developmental psychology > acquisition of knowledge > capacity for retaining experience > [noun]
memory1694
conservative facultya1856
faculty of conservationa1856
retentivity1865
retention1902
a1856 W. Hamilton Lect. Metaphysics (1859) II. xx. 13 Some have a strong faculty of conservation, and a feeble faculty of reproduction.
a1856 W. Hamilton Lect. Metaphysics (1859) II. xxx. 207 Aristotle distinguishes Memory (μνήμη), as the faculty of Conservation from Reminiscence (ἀνάμνησις), the faculty of Reproduction.
1935 Harvard Theol. Rev. 28 102 He further places this faculty of conservation in the anterior ventricle of the brain, where usually retentive imagination is placed.
6. The preserving of fruit or vegetables, esp. in sugar; the making of conserves. Cf. preserve v. 5a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preserving or pickling > [noun]
pickling1498
sousing1551
potting1569
comfiting1580
conditure1596
marling1598
comfiture1601
preservinga1610
confecting1626
conditing1681
conservation1869
1869 Sci. Amer. 27 Feb. 138/3 All fruits contain more or less air in their interior, which, in the process of conservation, ought to be expelled and replaced by the substance used as a conserving agent.
1873 E. E. Hale In his Name iii. 12 Watching the conservation of some peaches.
1919 Bridgeport (Connecticut) Standard Telegram 30 Aug. 15/4 Every thing that is required for successful conservation of fruit and vegetables.
1931 Kingsport (Tennessee) Times 31 Aug. 3/4 The plans for the conservation of peaches, apples, corn, beets, carrots, peas, beans, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, potatoes, etc., will be under the direction of the Community Chest.
1986 M. Manzanal & C. A. Vapnarsky in G. E. Hardoy & D. Satterthwaite Small & Intermediate Urban Centres 55 In General Roca county for 1963 and 1973..wine industries and the elaboration and conservation of fruit and vegetables were the most important in terms of production value.
7. Psychology. The ability to understand that certain basic properties of material objects or matter, esp. volume, weight, and number, are not altered by superficial changes in appearance or distribution, regarded as an important milestone in the development of a child's thinking. Cf. sense 5.
ΚΠ
1932 M. Gaban tr. J. Piaget Child's Conception of Physical Causality i. 32 The younger children seem to postulate a very rigid principle of conservation, more rigid even than ours, since they regard all the ‘currents’ of air as participating with one another.
1972 Cognition 1 344 In studying conservation of weight acquisition, Smedslund..attempted to induce cognitive conflict in children by performing AS [sc. addition/subtraction] transformations (e.g. the addition and removal or material from one ball of plasticene) and deformations (e.g. flattening out the other ball of plasticene).
2008 J. S. Nevid Psychol.: Concepts & Applic. ix. 358 Even some adults failed to demonstrate conservation on several different types of conservation tasks.
Compounds
C1. General attributive, esp. in sense 1e, as conservation effort, conservation group, conservation measure, conservation movement, etc.
ΚΠ
1909 Bull. Geogr. Soc. Philadelphia 6 120 (title) The conservation movement.
1914 Times 7 Jan. 1/4 The full plans provide for a considerable number of river conservation schemes.
1930 Nature Mag. Mar. 149/3 The Garden Club of America, the Daughters of the American Revolution,..and conservation groups scattered over the entire nation took a significant part in achieving the result.
1943 in Amer. Speech (1944) 19 149/1 The suggested conservation measures for electricity involve..the extinguishing of all ornamental and display lighting and signs after 10 p.m.
1969 Guardian 30 Aug. 8/2 The Tanzanian Government has been active in promoting conservation policies in the parks.
1995 Chem. in Brit. June 450/3 ICI has joined forces with the Wildlife Trusts charity to launch Work on the Wildside, a new partnership for 1995..which is to support practical conservation projects.
2003 Independent 20 Aug. 8/2 One of the world's most threatened birds, the northern bald ibis, is bouncing back from the brink of extinction after an emergency conservation programme.
C2.
conservation architect n. an architect who works on the conservation, restoration, or adaptation of a building, esp. one of historical interest.
ΚΠ
1973 Times 11 Jan. 3/1 The council..is trying to set up an international centre where the working conservation architect can find vital references and benefit from other experts' experience.
2001 Victorian Mar. 24/3 The work on site, which is being undertaken by the conservation architects Purcell Miller Tritton, encompasses a complete overhaul of the structure and services of the building.
conservation area n. an area deemed to be of special architectural, natural, or other interest and therefore protected (usually by legislation) from undesirable change.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > fertile land or place > land with vegetation > [noun] > protected area of vegetation
green spacea1770
conservation area1925
Site of Special Scientific Interest1953
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > [noun] > town-planning or development > area subject to specific restrictions
white land1677
zone1909
green belt1921
conservation area1925
1925 Davenport (Iowa) Democrat & Leader 21 Apr. 24/1 The entire length of the proposed conservation area is the country's greatest breeding place for black bass, pike, pickerel, perch and crappies.
1967 Civic Amenities Act c. 69 § 1(1) Every local planning authority shall from time to time determine which parts of their area..are areas of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance, and shall designate such areas (hereafter referred to as ‘Conservation Areas’).
2004 Cornishman (Nexis) 14 Oct. 13 The company had been issued with a discontinuation notice after displaying three non-luminated 48-sheet, six metre by three metre poster panels on the two roads, which are located in the Penzance Conservation Area.
conservation biologist n. a scientist who works in the field of conservation biology.
ΚΠ
1921 Jrnl. Amer. Water Wks. Assoc. 8 668 The water works bacteriologist, the industrial chemist, and the conservation biologist might see their individual points of view conserved.
1988 Conservation Biol. 2 399 Conservation biologists remain the best-informed group as to the scale, causes, and consequences of losses in diversity.
2000 Nature Conservancy Sept. 4/2 I could not understand why farmers and conservation biologists were at loggerheads when they had the common goal of preserving the land.
conservation biology n. the branch of biological science concerned with the conservation, management, and protection of vulnerable species, populations, and ecosystems.
ΚΠ
1937 Jrnl. Wildlife Managem. 1 3/1 The new and growing field of conservation biology.
1975 A. Alland When Spider Danced i. 11 I was faced with a choice between conservation biology..and a return to anthropology.
1999 High Country News 26 Apr. 9/2 Conservation biology grew largely out of a school of thought called island biogeography.
conservation easement n. North American an easement which ensures the use or development of a particular piece of land is compatible with long-term conservation and environmental aims.Such easements are typically granted by landowners who retain ownership of the property but voluntarily transfer rights of usage to conservation or environmental agencies.
ΚΠ
1959 Life 17 Aug. 102/2 Most property owners have never been asked to give land for a public-spirited purpose, and even when they get the idea themselves they often have a hard time finding an agency to give it to. Conservation easements, however, open up even more gift possibilities.
1989 Nature Conservancy May–June 35/2 A conservation easement on 152 acres safeguards a stretch of river corridor—nesting habitat for federally protected bald eagles.
2005 J. Diamond Collapse (2006) i. 62 He ultimately donated conservation easements on his land to a non-profit organization called the Montana Land Reliance.
conservation farming n. a method of farming which utilizes conservation tillage; cf. dry-land farming n. at dry land n. Compounds 2.
ΚΠ
1909 Montana (Dept. Publicity of Bureau Agric., Labor & Industry of Montana) 112 The science called Dry Land Farming—for which ‘Conservation Farming’ might be a more appropriate name—stepped in to make that hoped for success a practical and tangible reality.
1947 Times 20 Aug. 5/6 Conservation farming (farming in cooperation with, instead of in opposition to, nature) will combine the aesthetic with the practical.
2002 Plant Physiol. 130 1745/3 The negative impacts of wheat autotoxicity on agricultural production systems have also been identified when wheat straws are retained on the soil surface for conservation farming purposes.
conservation law n. Physics a law of nature according to which some measurable physical property is conserved, either in certain types of change or interaction only, or in all circumstances; cf. sense 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > [noun] > specific concepts or principles of > theoretical principle deduced from fact > specific
principle1770
Archimedes' law1874
conservation law1900
Archimedean property1908
field law1916
square law1921
anthropism1987
the world > matter > physics > quantum theory > quantum mechanics > symmetry, conserved properly > [noun] > law of
conservation law1900
1873 B. Stewart Conservation of Energy iii. 82 (heading) Law of conservation.]
1900 Philos. Rev. 9 275 It is obviously impossible to derive the conservation-law from the mere observation of nature.
1930 Physical Rev. 35 563/1 The conservation laws require that at least two quanta be emitted in this process.
2008 New Scientist 5 Apr. 39/2 Because the laws of Newton and Einstein have a symmetry—they don't change with time—they automatically possess a conservation law.
conservation officer n. an official responsible for overseeing the conservation of wildlife, the environment, or historical sites.
ΚΠ
1909 Chicago Tribune 11 Aug. 2/2 President Taft considers himself fully as sincere a conservationist of natural resources as his predecessor,..and he also considers that in Secretary Ballinger he has the sort of a conservation officer that is needed.
1962 Canada Month Nov. 9/2 Bill was caught pit-lamping deer on the Otter Point Road..by conservation officer Jack Lemfesty.
2002 Which? Feb. 53/3 Mo's local conservation officer had asked her to reinstate damaged egg and dart moulding that she had removed from her shutters.
conservation status n. the status accorded to an area of special interest, an endangered species, etc., in relation to its need for (legal) protection from undesirable change or the detrimental effects of human activity.
ΚΠ
1969 New Phytologist 68 224 National Organizers are appointed and are asked to co-ordinate the completion of Check-Sheets for all areas in their country with formal conservation status.
1994 Guardian (Nexis) 14 Jan. t36 The house is Grade II listed and one of a handful of inter-war domestic buildings deemed worthy of conservation status.
2002 Toronto Metro 4 Sept. 25/6 The new species, Little Sumba Hawk-Owl, could be endangered but further studies were needed to determine its conservation status.
conservation tillage n. the tillage or cultivation of soil with minimum disturbance (typically without ploughing) so as to control erosion and conserve soil moisture.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > [noun] > systems of cultivation
round tilth1723
infield and outfield1733
terrace1796
superculture1835
terrace-cultivation1860
terrace-culture1863
conservation tillage1897
monoculture1901
strip farming1913
polyculture1915
sailab1916
shifting cultivation1922
strip-cultivation1932
shifting agriculture1934
strip-cropping1936
podu1938
contour terracing1939
strip system1954
swiddening1971
monocropping1974
1897 L. H. Bailey Princ. Fruit-growing iii. 169 Tillage beyond that needed to conserve the moisture is useless; and even this conservation-tillage may well stop in late summer in very many cases.
1974 BioSci. 24 220/2 Favorable effects of zero or minimum tillage on the productivity of corn and sugar beets..and for water, soil, and energy conservation have long been known. It is currently known as conservation tillage.
2001 N.Y. Times 2 Aug. c6/3 Roundup [herbicide] also helped speed the adoption of conservation tillage, a system where farmers do not weed and till the soil before planting; they simply spray weed killer and then plant.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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