conservancy

noun

con·​ser·​van·​cy kən-ˈsər-vən(t)-sē 

plural conservancies

1

British : a board regulating fisheries and navigation in a river or port

2

a

: conservation

b

: an organization or area designated to conserve and protect natural resources

Synonyms

• conservation
• preservation
• sustentation

Examples of conservancy in a Sentence

The land was recently donated to a local conservancy.

raising money for the conservancy of natural resources

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier this month, Andrew Giacomini, a Marin lawyer, filed a complaint alleging that the National Park Service conspired with the Nature Conservancy to pay off ranchers to relinquish their rights to 20-year leases and instead lease the properties to the conservancy. —Richard Halstead, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2025

That began a race against the clock to find a temporary or permanent new location, said Susan Gibbs, the head of the conservancy and granddaughter of the ship’s designer. —Isabelle Taft, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025

The filter-feeding species eat plankton by catching the tiny creatures on their mucus and then moving them to their mouth through the help of small hairs, according to the conservancy. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2025

Just a week after the hearing ended, The Archaeological Conservancy, a national nonprofit, announced that Gales Ferry Intermodal had reached a deal to donate 3.4 acres to the conservancy. —Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English conservancie "act of conserving or keeping safe," borrowed from Medieval Latin conservantia "conservation, office of a conservator," noun derivative of Latin conservant-, conservans, present participle of conservāre "to save or keep from danger, preserve, keep unchanged" — more at conserve entry 1

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for conservancy

• fervency