Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Conservative


Conservative:

Pronounced - [kuhn-sur-vuh-tiv]

–adjective 1. disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.
2. cautiously moderate or purposefully low: a conservative estimate.
3. traditional in style or manner; avoiding novelty or showiness: conservative suit.
4. (often initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the Conservative party.
5. (initial capital letter) of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Conservative Jews or Conservative Judaism.
6. having the power or tendency to conserve; preservative.
7. Mathematics. (of a vector or vector function) having curl equal to zero; irrotational; lamellar.

–noun 8. a person who is conservative in principles, actions, habits, etc.
9. a supporter of conservative political policies.
10. (initial capital letter) a member of a conservative political party, esp. the Conservative party in Great Britain.
11. a preservative.


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Origin:
1350–1400; <>

adj.
Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change.

Traditional or restrained in style: a conservative dark suit.

Moderate; cautious: a conservative estimate.


Of or relating to the political philosophy of conservatism.

Belonging to a conservative party, group, or movement.


Conservative Of or belonging to the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom or the Progressive Conservative Party in Canada.

Conservative Of or adhering to Conservative Judaism.

Tending to conserve; preservative: the conservative use of natural resources.

n.
One favoring traditional views and values.

A supporter of political conservatism.

Conservative A member or supporter of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom or the Progressive Conservative Party in Canada.

Archaic A preservative agent or principle.

con·ser'va·tive·ly adv., con·ser'va·tive·ness n.



Cultural Dictionary

conservative


A descriptive term for persons, policies, and beliefs associated with conservatism.

Word Origin & History

conservative

as a modern political tradition, conservatism traces to Edmund Burke's opposition to the Fr. Revolution (1790), but the word conservative is not found in his writing. It was coined by his Fr. disciples, (e.g. Chateaubriand, who titled his journal defending clerical and political restoration "Le Conservateur"). Conservative as the name of a British political faction it first appeared in an 1830 issue of the "Quarterly Review," in an unsigned article sometimes attributed to John Wilson Croker. It replaced Tory (q.v.) by 1843, reflecting both a change from the pejorative name (in use for 150 years) and repudiation of some reactionary policies. Extended to similar spirits in other parties from 1845.
"Strictly speaking, conservatism is not a political system, but rather a way of looking at the civil order. The conservative of Peru ... will differ greatly from those of Australia, for though they may share a preference for things established, the institutions and customs which they desire to preserve are not identical." [Russell Kirk (1918-1994)]
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/conservative







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