'conservar' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'conservare,' where the prefix 'con-' meant 'with/together' and 'servare' meant 'to keep or guard'.

'conservare' passed into Old Spanish as 'conservar' (or similar medieval forms) and eventually became the modern Spanish verb 'conservar'.

Initially, it meant 'to keep together or guard'; over time it retained that core sense and specialized into meanings like 'preserve', 'maintain', and 'conserve' in modern Spanish.