conservancy

noun

con·​ser·​van·​cy kən-ˈsər-vən(t)-sē 

plural conservancies

1

British : a board regulating fisheries and navigation in a river or port

2

a

: conservation

b

: an organization or area designated to conserve and protect natural resources

Synonyms

• conservation
• preservation
• sustentation

Examples of conservancy in a Sentence

The land was recently donated to a local conservancy.

raising money for the conservancy of natural resources

Recent Examples on the Web

The work was halted by San Luis Obispo County authorities, and the firm eventually agreed to donate the 380-acre parcel to a land conservancy. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024

Founded in 2003, the conservancy is a nonprofit that has received hundreds of millions of dollars from government, private, and philanthropic sources for the development of 5.5 miles of riverfront between the Ambassador and Belle Isle bridges. —Violet Ikonomova, Detroit Free Press, 14 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English conservancie "act of conserving or keeping safe," borrowed from Medieval Latin conservantia "conservation, office of a conservator," noun derivative of Latin conservant-, conservans, present participle of conservāre "to save or keep from danger, preserve, keep unchanged" — more at conserve entry 1

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1