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 of conservatory

• 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

One is the Gardens of Golden Gate Park including the Japanese Tea Garden and Conservatory of Flowers, the oldest wood-and-glass conservatory in North America. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 16 July 2026

The Badajoz court found that the position awarded to Sánchez, overseeing the province’s music conservatories, was created without any genuine administrative need and responded instead to ‌his personal interests. — Reuters, NBC news, 14 July 2026

Two corpse flowers nicknamed Odora and Odorysseus have bloomed at the San Marino conservatory, drawing thousands for the rare occasion and quickly surpassing last year’s numbers. — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

The event honors the conservatory’s graduating class of 2026. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2026

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)