noun
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the act of ceding, esp of ceding rights, property, or territory
-
something that is ceded, esp land or territory
Etymology
Origin of cession
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cessiōn- (stem of cessiō ) a giving up, equivalent to cess ( us ) past participle of cēdere to yield ( ced- perfect stem + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Cession is the act of giving up something, usually land, by the agreement in a formal treaty. For example, after a war, a losing country might make a cession of part of its land to the victor. The meaning (and spelling) of the word cession, began with the Latin word meaning "a giving up" and retained that meaning throughout the word's evolution, passing through Old French and Middle English pretty much untouched. We can see its relationship to other words, such as secession, which is the idea of one government breaking away from another, or "giving up" the connection between them, as happened in our own country and led to the Civil War.
Vocabulary lists containing cession
The Constitution of the United States
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The Age of Jackson and Westward Expansion, Lessons 6–7
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The U.S. Constitution, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That conflict ended with the humiliating cession of more than half the nation’s territory to the United States, but López Obrador saw in it at least a few examples of valor.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 18, 2018
In the rest of the cession, Mexican laws against slavery would remain in force until those areas attained statehood or the courts ruled otherwise.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018
It was a highly controlled, and easily reversible, cession of partial authority.
From New York Times ● Nov. 25, 2017
The first Indian cession within the Louisiana Territory established the mold.
From Slate ● Mar. 1, 2017
"Thus this cession provided the infant republic with its only sure source of revenue" since at that time "Congress had neither the power to impose nor the machinery to collect any taxes."
From How Justice Grew: Virginia Counties, An Abstract of Their Formation by Hiden, Martha Woodroof
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
