re·served
(rĭ-zûrvd́)
adjective
- Held in reserve; kept back or set aside.
- Marked by self-restraint and reticence. See synonyms at silent
derivatives
- re·serv́ed·ly
- adverb
- re·serv́ed·ness
- noun
re·serve
(rĭ-zûrv́)
[Middle English reserven, from Old French reserver, from Latin reservāre, to keep back, re-, re-, + servāre, to keep.]
transitive verb: -served, -serv·ing, -serves.
- To keep back, as for future use or for a special purpose.
- To set or cause to be set apart for a particular person or use. See synonyms at book
- To keep or secure for oneself; retain: I reserve the right to disagree. See synonyms at keep
noun
- Something kept back or saved for future use or a special purpose.
- The act of reserving.
- The keeping of one's feelings, thoughts, or affairs to oneself.
- Self-restraint in expression; reticence: “One feels it everywhere, a quality of reserve, something held back” (Rollene W. Saal)
- Lack of enthusiasm; skeptical caution.
- An amount of capital held back from investment in order to meet probable or possible demands.
- A reservation of public land: a forest reserve.
- An amount of a mineral, fossil fuel, or other resource known to exist in a particular location and to be exploitable: the discovery of large oil reserves.
- A fighting force kept uncommitted until strategic need arises. Often used in the plural.
- The part of a country's armed forces not on active duty but subject to call in an emergency.
adjective
- Held in or forming a reserve: a reserve supply of food.
idioms
- in reserve
- Kept back, set aside, or saved.
derivatives
- re·serv́a·ble
- adjective
- re·serv́er
- noun
