conservative

英[k?n's??v?t?v] 美[k?n's?v?t?v]

復數:?conservatives;比較級:?more conservative;最高級:?most conservative;副詞:?conservatively;

conservative 保守的

來自conserve, 保護，保守。

conservative (adj.): late 14c., conservatyf, from Middle French conservatif, from Late Latin conservativus, from Latin conservatus, past participle of conservare (see conserve).

As a modern political tradition, conservatism traces to Edmund Burke's opposition to the French Revolution (1790), but the word conservative is not found in his writing. It was coined by his French disciples, (such as Chateaubriand, who titled his journal defending clerical and political restoration "Le Conservateur").

Conservative as the name of a British political faction 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)]
Phrases such as a conservative estimate make no sense etymologically. The noun is attested from 1831, originally in the British political sense.

1. He said they should turn their fire on the Conservative Party instead.: 他說他們應該掉轉槍口，向保守黨開火。

2. In recent months many conservative politicians have jumped on the anti-immigrant bandwagon.: 最近幾個月，很多保守政客都搭上了“反移民”這班車。

3. The opposition Conservative Party put a different interpretation on the figures.: 反對黨保守黨對這些數字提出一番不同的解釋。

4. The Conservative Government was only too quick to hush him up.: 保守黨政府很快就堵住了他的嘴。

5. A conservative estimate of the bill, so far, is about ￡22,000.: 到目前為止，這筆賬單保守估計大約為2.2萬英鎊。