Definition of "preservative" [pre•serv•a•tive]

• Tending to preserve or capable of preserving. (adjective)
• Something used to preserve, especially a chemical added to foods to inhibit spoilage. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I have had some previous experience in this branch of what I call preservative chemistry, and I have already in some degree succeeded in attaining my object."
• "She sealed it with a blue lid fitted with a built-in preservative and sent it back to Kaiser."
• "So yes vaccine preservative is yet another junk science scare, leading to mothers reluctant to inoculate their children."