conservatory

A conservatory is a place to grow. It could be one of those glass greenhouses where rare and delicate plants can thrive. Or it could be a place to grow your artistic talent — like a music conservatory.

A conservatory can conserve more than just plants; it can conserve culture, too. And so we have the conservatory as a school for the fine arts, in particular ballet and classical music — often known by their fancy French title, conservatoire. The word comes from the Latin word conservare, meaning "to preserve."