emancipation

noun

eman·​ci·​pa·​tion i-ˌman(t)-sə-ˈpā-shən How to pronounce emancipation (audio)
: the act or process of emancipating
emancipationist noun

Did you know?

The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, ordered that enslaved people living in rebellious territories be released from the bonds of ownership and made free people—their own masters. Though the proclamation's initial impact was limited, the order was true to the etymology of emancipation, which comes from a Latin word combining the prefix e-, meaning "away," and mancipare, meaning "to transfer ownership of.”

Examples of emancipation in a Sentence

a book discussing the role that the emancipation of slaves played in the nation's history
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Exactly 161 years ago this week, Abraham Lincoln offered pardons to Confederates who swore allegiance to the Union and endorsed emancipation. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024 Some post-Civil War historians have argued that emancipation permanently devastated slave-owning families. Ashwini Sehgal, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2024 Then, finally, the rise of the personal computer, Mac and PC, Windows and MacOS, and keyboard emancipation. David Bloom, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024 Already famous for her furtive work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Tubman arrived in Beaufort in the spring of 1862, a few weeks after the Union general David Hunter declared martial law and ordered the emancipation of the local enslaved population. Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for emancipation 

Word History

First Known Use

1631, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of emancipation was in 1631

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Dictionary Entries Near emancipation

Cite this Entry

“Emancipation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emancipation. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

emancipation

noun
eman·​ci·​pa·​tion i-ˌman(t)-sə-ˈpā-shən How to pronounce emancipation (audio)
: gradual separation of an original homogeneous embryo into fields with different specific potentialities for development

Legal Definition

emancipation

noun
eman·​ci·​pa·​tion i-ˌman-sə-ˈpā-shən How to pronounce emancipation (audio)
: the act or process of emancipating

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