'conservativeness' originates from Latin, specifically the verb 'conservare', where 'con-' meant 'together/toward' and 'servare' meant 'to keep or guard'.

'conservativeness' developed from Latin 'conservare' into Medieval Latin 'conservativus', passed through Old French and Middle English as 'conservative', and eventually became the modern English noun by adding the suffix '-ness' to 'conservative'.

Initially related to the act of 'keeping safe' or 'preserving', over time it came to denote the broader qualities of 'preference for tradition' and 'cautiousness' embodied in the modern sense of 'conservativeness'.