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

The Butterfly Garden, for example, is set in a large conservatory designed as a tropical forest, with an 18-foot high grotto waterfall. —Ryan Krogh, Outside Online, 4 Dec. 2024

Right at Home By Perri Ormont Blumberg At the heart of the project, debuting November 22, is a new 32,000-square-foot conservatory, overlooking the Brandywine Valley and seemingly immersed in a reflecting pool. —Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 19 Nov. 2024

Adjacent to the new conservatory is a new bonsai courtyard that will feature a rotating selection of 50 to 60 bonsai, many of which come from the dozens recently donated by the Kennett Collection, the largest outside Asia. —William O'Connor, Travel + Leisure, 30 Oct. 2024

The show in the conservatory’s packed auditorium opened with models in punk attire walking through the auditorium to timpani drumbeats. —Colleen Barry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 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)