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Origin and history of conservator

conservator(n.)

c. 1400, "an official entrusted with the power and the duty to protect the interests or rights of someone else or some thing," from Anglo-French conservatour, from Latin conservator "keeper, preserver, defender," agent noun of conservare "to keep, preserve, keep intact, guard," from assimilated form of com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + servare "keep watch, maintain" (from PIE root *ser- (1) "to protect").

General sense of "a preserver" (from injury, violation, etc.) is from mid-15c. Fem. form conservatrice was used mid-15c. in reference to the Virgin.

also from c. 1400

Entries linking to conservator

conservatorship(n.)

"condition or office of a conservator," 1640s, from conservator + -ship.

com-

word-forming element usually meaning "with, together," from Latin com, archaic form of classical Latin cum "together, together with, in combination," from PIE *kom- "beside, near, by, with" (compare Old English ge-, German ge-). The prefix in Latin sometimes was used as an intensive.

Before vowels and aspirates, it is reduced to co-; before -g-, it is assimilated to cog- or con-; before -l-, assimilated to col-; before -r-, assimilated to cor-; before -c-, -d-, -j-, -n-, -q-, -s-, -t-, and -v-, it is assimilated to con-, which was so frequent that it often was used as the normal form.

*ser-(1)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to protect." It might form all or part of: conservation; conservative; conserve; observance; observatory; observe; preserve; reservation; reserve; reservoir.

It might also be the source of: Avestan haurvaiti "to guard;" Latin servare "to guard, keep, watch;" Old Church Slavonic xraniti "to guard, protect;" Old High German gi-sarwi "armor, equipment," Old English searu "art, skill; wile, deceit."

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    "a guardian; one who has care or superintendence of something," late 14c., curatour "a parish priest," from Latin curator "overseer, manager, guardian," agent noun from curatus, past participle of curare (see cure (v.)). From early 15c. in reference to those put in charge of mino
    conservatory
    "having the quality of preserving," from Latin conservator "keeper, preserver, defender," agent noun from conservare....
    steward
    Middle English steuard, steward, "official in charge of the domestic affairs of a (large) household," from Old English stiward, stigweard "one who has charge of the affairs of the household or estate of another," from stig "hall, pen for cattle, part of a house" (see sty (n.1)) +
    fiduciary
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    early 14c., "agreement between persons, union in opinions or sentiment, state of mutual friendship, amiability," from Old French concorde (12c.) "concord, harmony, agreement, treaty," from Latin concordia "agreement, union," from concors (genitive concordis) "of the same mind," l
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