fertility-preserving
|fer-til-i-ty-pres-erv-ing|
🇺🇸
/fərˈtɪlɪti-prɪˈzɜrvɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/fəˈtɪlɪti-prɪˈzɜːvɪŋ/
keeps fertility
Etymology
'fertility-preserving' originates from English, composed of the noun 'fertility' and the present-participle form 'preserving', where 'fertility' ultimately comes from Latin 'fertilis' meaning 'fruitful' and 'preserve' derives from Latin 'praeservare' meaning 'to keep beforehand'.
'fertility' entered English via Latin 'fertilis' (through Old French/Medieval Latin influence) and developed into Middle English forms that gave modern 'fertility'; 'preserve' came from Latin 'praeservare' → Old French 'preserver' → Middle English 'preserven' → modern English 'preserve' and its participle 'preserving', which combined with 'fertility' to form the modern compound 'fertility-preserving'.
Initially, 'fertility' often meant 'fruitfulness' (especially agricultural fruitfulness) and 'preserve' meant 'to keep safe'; over time, 'fertility' broadened to mean human reproductive capability, and the compound came to mean 'intended to maintain reproductive ability'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
noun form 'fertility preservation': the act or process of preserving fertility (this is a related noun derived from the adjective/compound).
Fertility preservation is an important consideration for young cancer patients.
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Adjective 1
designed or acting so as to conserve or protect reproductive ability (often used of medical treatments or procedures that aim to keep a person's ability to conceive).
She chose a fertility-preserving treatment before chemotherapy.
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Last updated: 2025/11/24 10:04