conservatory

noun

con·​ser·​va·​to·​ry kən-ˈsər-və-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural conservatories

1

: a greenhouse for growing or displaying plants

2

: a school specializing in one of the fine arts

a music conservatory

Synonyms

• glasshouse [chiefly British]
• greenhouse
• hothouse

Examples of conservatory in a Sentence

the Peabody Conservatory of Music

the college's conservatory is entirely devoted to cultivating and displaying orchids

Recent Examples on the Web

Inside the garden’s conservatory are many plant specimens appropriate to Carroll’s Victorian era. —Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2024

VIPs will slip through an unmarked door just off the property’s iconic conservatory and into a lounge complete with welcoming a concierge, butlers, and all manner of beverages and snacks. —David Morris, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2024

Inside, there’s a 24-seat formal dining room, several commodious living spaces with fireplaces, a bar with seating for eight people, and a conservatory flooded with natural light. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2024

Future phases include a visitor's center, numerous gardens, and a conservatory. —Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin conservātōrium "something that preserves" (Medieval Latin, "fish pond"), from Latin conservāre "to save or keep from danger, preserve" + -tōrium, suffix of places (from neuter of -tōrius, deverbal adjective suffix originally forming derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tōr-, -tor); (sense 2) after Italian conservatorio, originally denoting a home for foundlings and orphans who were given a musical education — more at conserve entry 1

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

conservatory

noun

con·​ser·​va·​to·​ry kən-ˈsər-və-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

plural conservatories

1

: a greenhouse for growing or displaying plants

2

: a place of instruction in some special study (as music)