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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
When Thompson died, his will provided for Ross' eventual emancipation, who then settled nearby the Thompson estate.
—
Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2025
Butler said humor has been celebrated as a form of emancipation and pushing back against oppressors or authoritarians.
—Lisa Hagen, NPR, 15 Mar. 2025
Wood will share Lincoln’s political views on slavery and emancipation and how those shifted over the years.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
From the joy of reunion to the despair of never finding loved ones, from the jubilation surrounding emancipation to the failures of Reconstruction, these books capture the mixed legacies of the post-Civil War era in dramatic and compelling ways.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2025
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Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2025
Butler said humor has been celebrated as a form of emancipation and pushing back against oppressors or authoritarians.
—Lisa Hagen, NPR, 15 Mar. 2025
Wood will share Lincoln’s political views on slavery and emancipation and how those shifted over the years.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
From the joy of reunion to the despair of never finding loved ones, from the jubilation surrounding emancipation to the failures of Reconstruction, these books capture the mixed legacies of the post-Civil War era in dramatic and compelling ways.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for emancipation
Cite this Entry
“Emancipation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emancipation. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
emancipation
noun
eman·ci·pa·tion
i-ˌman(t)-sə-ˈpā-shən 
: 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
: the act or process of emancipating
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