rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: servare
Latin

servare

keep, preserve, or watch over

Forms

  • servare
  • servat- — The form used for completed action and later derivatives.

Origin

An inherited Latin verb; its deeper relationship to other old protection words is uncertain.

Note

Keeping something safe and keeping a rule both extend the idea of maintaining it.

15 / 17
noun / verb

reserve

rih-ZURV/rɪzˈɝv/

Something kept available for later use.

The man keeps one water bottle in reserve while using the other.

Man sets one filled water bottle aside in small marked clock-icon storage box while using another, visibly keeping portion for later; no words or interior background.
Etymology
reLatinback, again; restoration or reversal
+serveLatinkeep, preserve, or watch over

The pieces express “keeping back”: something reserved is withheld from immediate or general use. That makes it available later, or keeps it apart for a particular person.

In context

The Sharp Dressed Gent2:24
remember to reserve them for informal or semiformal occasions as they are not a replacement for traditional dress shoes in strictly formal contexts.
Are Espadrilles A Good Dress Shoe Alternative? - The Sharp Dressed Gent

More examples

  • Our food reserves last through the winter.
  • Reserve half the sauce for tomorrow's dinner.
  • She keeps some energy in reserve for the final mile.

Forms

reserve · reserves · reserved · reserving

Similar words

stockpile
Usually emphasizes a large supply accumulated for future needs.
supply
An available quantity, not necessarily set aside for later.