con-servo, āvi, ātum, 1 (inf. perf. conservasse more usu. than conservavisse, acc. to Quint. 1, 6, 21), v. a., to retain, keep something in existence, to hold up, maintain, to preserve, leave unhurt or safe (class.; esp. freq. in prose).
I Of corporeal objects; absol. : conserva, quaere, parce, Ter. Ad. 813; usu. with acc.: conservasti te atque illam, id. Heaut. 653: placet his, simul atque natum sit animal, ipsum sibi conciliari et commendari ad se conservandum et ad suum statum et ad ea quae conservantia sunt ejus status diligenda, Cic. Fin. 3, 5, 16; v. infra, P. a. : Caesar sese eos conservaturum dixit, would save, leave unharmed , Caes. B. G. 2, 15; so id. ib. 2, 12; 2, 28; id. B. C. 3, 98; Nep. Them. 5, 2; 8, 6; Suet. Aug. 17 al.: rem familiarem diligentiā et parsimoniā (corresp. with augere), Cic. Off. 2, 24, 87: simulacra arasque, Nep. Ages. 4, 7: conservari alitem atque sobolem jussere haruspices, Plin. 15, 30, 40, § 136: arborem, to preserve , Suet. Aug. 94: chirographum, id. Dom. 1: praedia successioni suae, Dig. 32, 1, 38, § 7.—With two accs. : omnes salvos, Cic. Cat. 3, 10, 25: aliquos incolumes, id. Fam. 9, 13, 3: rectam conservare stirpem, Col. 4, 20, 1.—
II Of incorporeal objects: corpora quaedam conservant naturam semper eandem, Lucr. 1, 677: genus, id. 2, 709: ordinem, Cic. Rosc. Com. 2, 6: pristinam erga me voluntatem, id. Fam. 5, 3, 2: pristinum animum erga populum Romanum, Liv. 31, 2, 4: jusjurandum, to keep, observe , Cic. Off. 3, 28, 103; Nep. Hann. 2, 5: quam (benevolentiam) conservabo, Cic. Fam. 3, 7, 6: jus augurum, id. Div. 2, 35, 75: tuorum meritorum erga me memoriam, id. Fam. 4, 13, 7: patriam, id. Rep. 6, 13, 13; cf. id. Red. Quir. 7, 17: religionem, Nep. Ages. 2, 5: indutias, id. ib. 2, 4: voluntatem mortuorum, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 47, § 124: legem, Quint. 9, 2, 83: privilegia athletis, Suet. Aug. 45.—So the formula in treating for peace: majestatem populi Romani comiter conservato, in Cic. Balb. 16, 35; Liv. 38, 11, 2; cf. Dig. 49, 15, 7, and v. comis, adv. fin. —With double acc.: incorrupta mei conserva foedera lecti, Prop. 4 (5), 3, 69.
III —Hence, conser-vans , antis, P. a., preservative; with gen.: quae conservantia sunt ejus statūs, Cic. Fin. 3, 5, 16.