nescient, preserve, free up, unaltered, petition

Many observers doubt North Korea’s claim of having zero cases of coronavirus. Some accuse Pyongyang of hiding an outbreak to preserve order.

Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times

Buddhists Wield Their Brushes in Nepal

By EDWARD WONG

LO MANTHANG, Nepal — A project aimed at restoring Tibetan murals at two sacred sites has stirred debate among scholars and residents about altering the murals.

A Real Girl, 14, Takes a Stand Against the Flawless Faces in Magazines

By JIM DWYER

Julia Bluhm, an eighth grader from Maine, petitioned Seventeen magazine to feature unaltered photos, to give girls more reasonable body images.

Court Frees Up Hurd Letter

A letter off events leading to Mark Hurd's resignation as H-P's chief executive describes an "uncomfortable dance that went on almost two years," alleging that his unwanted advances put a female contractor in the difficult position of rejecting her boss while trying to preserve her job.

nescient (NESH-uhnt, NESH-ee-uhnt, NES-ee-uhnt)

adjective: Lacking knowledge or awareness.

Etymology
From Latin ne- (not) + scire (to know). Ultimately from the Indo-European root skei- (to cut or split) that has also given us schism, ski, shin, science, conscience, nice, scienter, adscititious, and sciolist.

Usage
"The most interesting character development occurs in Zeta-Jones's transformation from nescient wife to underground businesswoman as she tries to preserve her husband's business." — Matthew Hunt; Traffic; Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia); Jan 12, 2001.

preserve
(prĭ-zûrv')

v., -served, -serv·ing, -serves. v.tr.

1. To maintain in safety from injury, peril, or harm; protect.
2. To keep in perfect or unaltered condition; maintain unchanged.
3. To keep or maintain intact: tried to preserve family harmony. See synonyms at defend.
4. To prepare (food) for future use, as by canning or salting.
5. To prevent (organic bodies) from decaying or spoiling.
6. To keep or protect (game or fish) for one's private hunting or fishing.

v.intr.

1. To treat fruit or other foods so as to prevent decay.
2. To maintain a private area stocked with game or fish.

n.

1. Something that acts to preserve; a preservative.
2. Fruit cooked with sugar to protect against decay or fermentation. Often used in the plural.
3. An area maintained for the protection of wildlife or natural resources.
4. Something considered as being the exclusive province of certain persons: Ancient Greek is the preserve of scholars.

[Middle English preserven, from Old French preserver, from Medieval Latin praeservāre, from Late Latin, to observe beforehand : Latin prae-, pre- + Latin servāre, to guard, preserve.]

preservability pre·serv'a·bil'i·ty n.
preservable pre·serv'a·ble adj.
preservation pres'er·va'tion (prĕz'ər-vā'shən) n.
preserver pre·serv'er n.


 alter

• 発音記号[ɔ'ːltər]

[動](他)

1 ［III[名]（[副]）］…を変える, 改める；…を（…に）変える((into ...)). ⇒CHANGE[類語]

alter a dress
ドレスを体に合わせて仕立て直す（▼change clothesは「服を着替える」の意）

alter radically one's lifestyle
生活様式をがらっと変える

alter the storeroom into a bedroom
納戸(なんど)を改造して寝室にする

That alters matters ［the case］.
それでは話が違ってくる.

2 ((米))〈雄を〉去勢する, 〈雌の〉卵巣を取り去る. ▼castrate, spayの婉曲語.

━━(自)〈人・物が〉変わる, 改まる

He has altered a little in appearance.
彼は風采(ふうさい)が少し変わった.

━━[名]分身, 別の自己；多重人格中の一人格.

［古フランス語←後ラテン語alterāre（他のものにする）. △ALIEN, ALIBI, ALIAS］