form-preserving
|form-pre-serv-ing|
🇺🇸
/fɔrm prɪˈzɝvɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/fɔːm prɪˈzɜːvɪŋ/
keep shape/structure
Etymology
'form-preserving' derives from the English noun 'form' and the present participle 'preserving'. 'form' ultimately comes from Latin 'forma' meaning 'shape, figure', while 'preserving' comes from Latin 'praeservare' (via Old French), where 'prae-' meant 'before/in front' and 'servare' meant 'to keep'.
'form' entered English from Latin via Old French 'forme' and Middle English 'forme'. 'Preserve' came into English from Old French 'preserver', from Latin 'praeservare'. The compound adjective 'form-preserving' is a modern English formation (especially used in technical and scientific contexts) rather than an inherited single-word term.
Originally, 'form' meant 'shape' and 'preserve' meant 'to keep safe or intact'; combined in modern usage the compound specifically denotes keeping shape or structural properties, particularly in technical or formal contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
keeping or maintaining the original physical shape or appearance of something.
The restoration technique is form-preserving, so the vase retains its original outline after repair.
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Adjective 2
in mathematics, computer science, or formal systems: preserving the formal structure or properties of an object (for example, a map or transformation that preserves structure).
A form-preserving transformation maps solutions of the equation to other valid solutions without changing the structural relationships.
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Last updated: 2025/12/27 23:07