Lebensraum

[ley-buh ns-roum, -buh nz-]

noun (often lowercase)

additional territory considered by a nation, especially Nazi Germany, to be necessary for national survival or for the expansion of trade.
any additional space needed in order to act, function, etc.

Origin of Lebensraum

1900–05; < German: living space

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for lebensraum

Historical Examples of lebensraum

Lebensraum and Volkdeutsch were twin pillars of Nazi ideology.
After the Rain
Sam Vaknin
Hitler suggests a future foreign policy for Germany which would assure Lebensraum and domination of the European continent.
Readings on Fascism and National Socialism
Various

British Dictionary definitions for lebensraum

Lebensraum

noun

territory claimed by a nation or state on the grounds that it is necessary for survival or growth

Word Origin for Lebensraum

German, literally: living space

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lebensraum

"territory needed for a nation's or people's natural development," 1905, from German genitive of leben "life" (see life) + raum "space" (see room (n.)).