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definitions

reclamation

[ rek-luh-mey-shuh n ]
/ ˌrɛk ləˈmeɪ ʃən /
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noun

the reclaiming of desert, marshy, or submerged areas or other wasteland for cultivation or other use.
the act or process of reclaiming.
the state of being reclaimed.
the process or industry of deriving usable materials from waste, by-products, etc.

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RELATED WORDS

repossession, improvement, recovery, redemption, recycling

Nearby words

reckon with, reckoner, reckoning, reclaim, reclaimant, reclamation, reclassify, reclearance, reclinate, reclination, recline

Origin of reclamation

1525–35, in sense “a protest”; < Middle French < Latin reclāmātiōn- (stem of reclāmātiō) crying out against, equivalent to reclāmāt(us) (past participle of reclāmāre; see reclaim) + -iōn- -ion
Related formsnon·rec·la·ma·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for reclamation

British Dictionary definitions for reclamation

reclamation

/ (ˌrɛkləˈmeɪʃən) /

noun

the conversion of desert, marsh, or other waste land into land suitable for cultivation
the recovery of useful substances from waste products
the act of reclaiming or state of being reclaimed
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 reclamation

reclamation

n.

late 15c., "a revoking" (of a grant, etc.), from Old French réclamacion and directly from Latin reclamationem (nominative reclamatio) "a cry of 'no,' a shout of disapproval," noun of action from past participle stem of reclamare "cry out against, protest" (see reclaim). From 1630s as "action of calling (someone) back" (from iniquity, etc.); meaning "action of claiming something taken awat" is from 1787. Of land from 1848.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper