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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
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Commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, marking the day in 1865 when freedom was proclaimed in Texas.
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David Faris, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Historically, the relationship between Black Americans and the American South—in both the art world and the world writ large—is reduced to that of oppression and enslavement, with little attention paid to the creative and scientific innovations that both preceded and followed emancipation.
—Evan Nicole Brown, ARTnews.com, 20 Dec. 2024
At the end of the day, Palmer decided not to seek emancipation from her parents and attributes part of the reason to Smith's phone call.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
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
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David Faris, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Historically, the relationship between Black Americans and the American South—in both the art world and the world writ large—is reduced to that of oppression and enslavement, with little attention paid to the creative and scientific innovations that both preceded and followed emancipation.
—Evan Nicole Brown, ARTnews.com, 20 Dec. 2024
At the end of the day, Palmer decided not to seek emancipation from her parents and attributes part of the reason to Smith's phone call.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for emancipation
Dictionary Entries Near emancipation
Cite this Entry
“Emancipation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emancipation. Accessed 16 Jan. 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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