Conservatoriums

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Institutions dedicated to teaching music and musical performance
2. Schools or academies where students learn various aspects of music
3. Educational facilities focused on training musicians and composers

Etymology: "Conservatoriums" is the plural of "conservatorium," a form of the Italian-influenced spelling for the same institution. The word itself is a Latin formation: "cōnservātōrium" was built from "cōnservātus," meaning "conserved" or "preserved," with the suffix "-ōrium," which forms nouns denoting a place or tool for doing something. A "conservatorium" is thus, at root, a place for keeping things safe. That sense of preservation is what makes the institutional meaning striking. The word moved from a literal idea of storing or guarding to a school where musical traditions are kept alive and passed on to new generations. Musicians trained there are, in effect, the means by which a body of art is conserved.

Synonyms: music school, academy, conservatory