All 5 Uses

preserve
in
The Secret Life of Bees
(Edited)

See, Lily, honey is a preservative.
p. 269.6 *

preservative = something that keeps food from spoiling
When we bathe Our Lady in it, I guess you'd say we're preserving her for another year, at least inside our hearts we're doing that.
p. 269.7 *

preserving = protecting (keeping as is)
"I didn't know honey was a preservative," I said, starting to like the feel of it under my fingers, how they glided as if oiled.
p. 269.8

preservative = something that can be added to food to keep it from spoiling
We were preserving Our Lady, and I was content—for the first time since I'd learned about my mother—to be doing what I was doing.
p. 270.8

preserving = protecting
Like I could preserve whatever I touched.
p. 271.1

preserve = protect; or keep from changing

Definitions:

(1) (preserve as in: preserve the records)
to protect something or to keep it as it is
(2) (preserve as in: preserve the peaches)
to prepare food in a way that keeps it from spoiling
(3) (preserve as in: a wildlife preserve)
protected wildlife area
(4) (preserve as in: no longer a male preserve)
something exclusive to (someone or some group) -- such as an activity or place
(5) (preserves as in: mom made preserves)
chunks of fruit cooked with sugar (like jam) and sealed (usually in a mason jar) so it will not spoil
(6) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)