See Also: Federal Reserve District (Reserve district or district)(money)
Federal Reserve District (Reserve district or district)(finance)
reserve air(medicine)
Reserve(medicine)
Reserve(money)
reserve(2)(dictionary)
reserve(1)(dictionary)
RESERVE(finance)
Reserve currency(finance)
Reserve account(finance)

reserve(2) (iou)



reserve verb trans. ME.
[Old & mod. French reserver from Latin reservare, formed as RE- + servare keep, save.]
a. Keep back or set aside for future use or for a later occasion, put by. (Foll. by for, to.) ME.
C. Conran Squeeze the lemon and reserve the juice.
b. Postpone the making of (a decision, judgement, etc.), esp. in order to consider a case or await evidence; defer discussion of (a matter). (Foll. by for, to.) LME.
N. Coward I shall reserve my opinion..until I've met..Victor. Times Mr Justice Boreham reserved judgement.
Retain or secure as one's own, esp. by formal or legal stipulation; keep to or for oneself; Law make a reservation of in a lease etc. LME.
Socialist Leader Government says it reserves the right.
b. Set apart (a portion of rent) for payment in corn etc. Now rare or obsolete. L16.
Set apart or keep for a person or for a special use (foll. by for, to); in pass., (of an achievement) be fated for, fall to. LME.
G. Berkeley This discovery was reserved to our times. J. Barzun A difficult task reserved for the few. E. J. Howard Pie reserved for Hanwell's elevenses. D. Rowe We reserve our best behaviour for strangers.
b. Set (a person) apart for a particular fate or end. Formerly also foll. by to. Now rare. LME.
c. Make an exception of; except or exempt (a thing or person) from something. L15-E19.
d. In textile or pottery decoration, leave in the original colour of the material or the colour of the background. Usu. in pass. L19.
e. Exempt (a person) from military service on the grounds of holding an important civilian occupation. Also, class (a civilian occupation) as high priority (usu. in pass.). E20.
Ecclesiastical.
a. Set apart or keep back (a case for absolution) to be dealt with by a superior authority. Foll. by for, to. LME.
b. Retain or preserve (a portion of the Eucharistic elements) after celebration of the sacrament. M16.
a. Preserve (a person), keep alive; save from death. Now rare. LME.
b. Keep in store, save (a commodity etc.); preserve (food, a relic, etc.) from decay or destruction. LME-M18.
c. Keep or maintain in a certain state or condition. E16-M17.
d. Keep in one's possession. M16-E17.
e. Continue to have, retain (a characteristic, quality, etc.). L16-E18.
Engage (a seat, ticket, etc.) in advance, book; order (a thing) to be specially retained, usu. for a particular length of time. M19.
B. Chatwin He reserved a table at a restaurant.
reserver noun (a) rare a person who reserves something; (b) = RESERVOIR noun 1: E17.