[Proposal] preserve → keep

[zhonglish]

This is a proposal to retire the word preserve in favor of keep.

Latin root. \”Preserve freshness\” → \”keep fresh.\” Jam preserves; memories keep.

Your Vote

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[English]

I see the logic — “keep” is shorter. But “preserve” and “keep” have diverged in meaning. You preserve a historical site. You preserve jam. You preserve dignity. These aren’t the same as “keeping” something.

Retiring “preserve” would leave a semantic gap that “keep” doesn’t fill. That’s not simplification — it’s loss.

[Author]

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