conservatory

noun

con·​ser·​va·​to·​ry kən-ˈsər-və-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural conservatories

1

: a greenhouse for growing or displaying plants

2

: a school specializing in one of the fine arts

a music conservatory

Synonyms

• greenhouse

Examples of conservatory in a Sentence

the Peabody Conservatory of Music

the college's conservatory is entirely devoted to cultivating and displaying orchids

Recent Examples on the Web

During this period, Roosevelt also replaced the old conservatories with new executive offices, establishing what became known as the West Wing. —Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025

Earlier planning applications show that the local authorities granted permission to build a single-story property to accommodate police officers protecting the site in 1990, and permission was given for the construction of a conservatory in 2001. —Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025

Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale is the largest butterfly conservatory in the country. —Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 10 Oct. 2025

These weren’t people who studied in a conservatory. —Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin conservātōrium "something that preserves" (Medieval Latin, "fish pond"), from Latin conservāre "to save or keep from danger, preserve" + -tōrium, suffix of places (from neuter of -tōrius, deverbal adjective suffix originally forming derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tōr-, -tor); (sense 2) after Italian conservatorio, originally denoting a home for foundlings and orphans who were given a musical education — more at conserve entry 1

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

conservatory

noun

con·​ser·​va·​to·​ry kən-ˈsər-və-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

plural conservatories

1

: a greenhouse for growing or displaying plants

2

: a place of instruction in some special study (as music)