'vessel-preserving' is a modern compound formed from 'vessel' + 'preserving'. 'vessel' originates from Latin 'vās' (genitive 'vāsis') via Old French 'vessel' meaning 'container' or 'tube', and 'preserve' originates from Latin 'praeservare' where 'prae-' meant 'before' and 'servare' meant 'to keep'.

'vessel' passed into Old French as 'vessel' and Middle English as 'vescel/vesel', eventually becoming modern English 'vessel'. 'preserve' came into English via Old French 'preserver' from Latin 'praeservare', and its present participle 'preserving' is used to form compounds like 'vessel-preserving'.

Individually, 'vessel' originally denoted a container or tube and 'preserve' meant 'to keep safe'; combined in modern English the compound specifically conveys the idea of keeping anatomical or tubular structures intact (often in medical or technical contexts).