Historical Preservation Vocabulary

noun A large building that houses the local government offices and meeting rooms for a city or town.

• The mayor gave a speech at city hall about the new infrastructure project.
• Let's meet at city hall before heading to the event.
• I heard there's a protest happening at city hall tomorrow.
• City hall is like the heart of the community, where decisions are made that affect everyone.

noun A person in charge of a museum, art collection, or other collection of historical or cultural items.

• The museum curator carefully selected the pieces for the upcoming exhibit.
• The curator of the art gallery is really cool and knows a lot about the paintings.
• That museum curator is a total art nerd, but in a good way.
• As the curator of his own life, he carefully curated each experience to create a meaningful existence.

verb to spoil the surface or appearance of something, especially by drawing or writing on it

• Vandals deface public property by spray painting graffiti on walls.
• Someone tried to deface the school's sign with marker.
• I can't believe someone would deface that beautiful mural.
• His actions deface the reputation of our company.

noun the act of despoiling or the state of being despoiled; plunder; robbery; spoilation.

• The despoliation of the ancient ruins was a devastating blow to the preservation efforts.
• The despoliation of the park by vandals was a real shame.
• The despoliation of the beach was a total bummer.
• The despoliation of her reputation was like a stain that couldn't be washed away.

noun a word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance, or quality (ravages, time)

• The ancient ruins show the ravages of time through erosion and weathering.
• Dude, check out how this old building has been wrecked by the ravages of time.
• Man, this car has really been beat up by the ravages of time.
• Her beauty may have faded, but her spirit remains untouched by the ravages of time.

noun a small remaining quantity of something

adjective remaining or leftover

• The archaeologists discovered a remnant of an ancient civilization buried deep underground.
• I found a remnant of my favorite shirt in the back of my closet.
• I snagged a remnant of the cake before anyone else could get to it.
• The old building was the last remnant of a bygone era in the neighborhood.

noun the act or process of cutting or shaping stone

adjective describing the activity or process of cutting or shaping stone

• Stonecutting is a skilled craft that requires precision and attention to detail.
• My neighbor's son is learning stonecutting as a trade.
• I heard stonecutting is a cool gig if you're into working with your hands.
• In the world of business, strategic planning is like the stonecutting of success.

noun a building or room used for storing goods or supplies

verb none

adjective none

adverb none

pronoun none

preposition none

conjunction none

interjection none

article none

• The museum's archive serves as a storehouse for valuable historical artifacts.
• My garage has turned into a storehouse for all the old furniture we don't use anymore.
• I found a hidden storehouse of snacks in my friend's bedroom.
• Her mind was like a storehouse of memories, each one carefully preserved and cataloged.

adjective describing something that has been respected or valued for a long time

• The time-honored tradition of bowing to show respect is still observed in many cultures.
• We always stick to the time-honored recipe when making chocolate chip cookies.
• Even though it's old-fashioned, I love that time-honored movie from the 80s.
• The time-honored advice of 'think before you speak' is always a good reminder.

noun the act of burying a dead body again in another place

• The reinterment of the ancient remains was conducted with great care and respect.
• They're planning a reinterment ceremony for the old cemetery next week.
• I heard they're finally moving the bodies for the reinterment thing.
• The reinterment of old memories can bring closure and healing to the heart.

verb to enter or place (something) into something again

• The committee decided to reinter the archaeological artifacts in a more secure location.
• They're going to reinter the remains next week.
• Let's reinter this whole situation and move on.
• She needed to reinter her feelings of resentment and find peace.