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

Another fundamental factor is the expansion of the pipeline from middle and high school jazz programs to universities and conservatories via initiatives like the 14th annual JazzGirls Day, a free Berkeley High School event on March 8 open to all 10- to 14-year-old girls. —Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2025

Engineering work in the bowels of the Barbican, four stories below the conservatory, is also urgently needed. —George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 20 Feb. 2025

An international roster of designers has shaped its evolution, and next Friday brings the unveiling of another transformation: Longwood Reimagined, a magnificent, 17-acre addition to its collection of gardens and conservatories. —airmail.news, 16 Nov. 2024

Built in the 1980s and in keeping with the arts center’s brutalist aesthetic, the conservatory is no longer fit for purpose. —George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 20 Feb. 2025

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)