conservatory

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kənˈsɜː.və.tɹi/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /kənˈsɝ.vəˌt(ɔ.)ɹi/

From conserve + -atory.

conservatory (comparative more conservatory, superlative most conservatory)

1. Having the quality of preserving from loss, decay, or injury.
2. (rare) Relating to conservation.

conservatory (plural conservatories)

1. (obsolete) That which preserves from injury.
   • c. 1656, Jeremy Taylor, Of Original Sin:

     a conservatory of life

2. A storehouse.

Anglicized form of French conservatoire; ultimately equivalent to Etymology 1

conservatory (plural conservatories)

1. A large greenhouse or hothouse for the display of plants

   Synonyms: greenhouse, hothouse, orangery, planthouse

2. (chiefly UK, Ireland) A glass-walled and -roofed room in a house

   Synonyms: sunroom, solarium, Florida room

3. A music school or a drama school

   Synonym: conservatoire