'imaginatively-preserved' originates from the combination of 'imaginative' and 'preserved', where 'imaginative' comes from Latin 'imaginativus', meaning 'pertaining to imagination', and 'preserved' from Latin 'praeservare', meaning 'to keep safe'.

'imaginative' changed from the Latin word 'imaginativus' and 'preserved' from 'praeservare', eventually forming the modern English term 'imaginatively-preserved'.

Initially, 'imaginative' meant 'pertaining to imagination', and 'preserved' meant 'to keep safe'. Together, they evolved to mean 'preserved in a creative manner'.