reservation

[ rez-er-vey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of keeping back, withholding, or setting apart.
2. the act of making an exception or qualification.
3. an exception or qualification made expressly or tacitly:

   to accept something, but with inner reservations.

4. a tract of public land set apart for a special purpose, as for the use of an Indian tribe.
5. an arrangement to secure accommodations at a restaurant or hotel, on a boat or plane, etc.
6. the record kept or assurance given of such an arrangement:

   Sorry, the hotel has no reservation under that name.

reservation

/ ˌrɛzəˈveɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of reserving
2. something reserved, esp hotel accommodation, a seat on an aeroplane, in a theatre, etc
3. often plural a stated or unstated qualification of opinion that prevents one's wholehearted acceptance of a proposal, claim, statement, etc
4. an area of land set aside, esp (in the US) for American Indian peoples
5. the strip of land between the two carriageways of a dual carriageway
6. the act or process of keeping back, esp for oneself; withholding
7. law a right or interest retained by the grantor in property granted, conveyed, leased, etc, to another

   a reservation of rent

Other Words From

• nonres·er·vation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reservation¹

1350–1400; Middle English reservacioun < Middle French reservation, equivalent to reserv ( er ) to reserve + -ation -ation

Example Sentences

They nixed the trains that usually ferry people to the fruit trees, established a one-way path through the rows, and set up a reservation system with caps on the number of pickers per hour.

From Eater

Restaurant reservations are suddenly hard to come by, as we’ve come to learn.

From Fortune

When I talked with the Times reporter, I shared my reservations about pretend empathy and then went online to give the chatbot a chance.

From MIT Technology Review

It’s a platform to help others without reservation or condition, and ironically, the one who benefits most is the one doing it.

From MIT Technology Review

Just a few months ago, Tribal governments and leaders in North Dakota were in a legal battle with the state over the passage of oppressive voter-identification laws that placed undue hardships on many Native residents living on reservations.

From Fortune

The Reservation is sovereign Indian land, and the grizzly is a sacred animal to these tribes.

From The Daily Beast

The dinner guests are all customers who booked a dinner reservation through a new startup company called EatWith.

From The Daily Beast

The great devotions, harsh realities, and racial tensions of reservation-edge basketball make for a riveting tale.

From The Daily Beast

Here, he is telling me how basketball came to the Wind River Reservation.

From The Daily Beast

Back in June, President Obama made his first visit to an Indian reservation, and he was just the third sitting president to do so.

From The Daily Beast

At any rate, whatsoever that curious reservation meant, the majority of the staff were opposed to surrender.

From Project Gutenberg

All that a man could offer, who did not wish to be suspected of rank cowardice, he offered without reservation.

From Project Gutenberg

Plenty Buffalo gave little more information as the car swayed along the road that led off the reservation.

From Project Gutenberg

Another ten miles, on the sweep of the road toward the reservation, and the automobile was sighted.

From Project Gutenberg

Lowell had treated Fire Bear leniently—too leniently most of the white men near the reservation had considered.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• doubt
• restriction
• skepticism