secession

American  

[si-sesh-uhn] / sɪˈsɛʃ ən /

noun

1. an act or instance of seceding.

2. (often initial capital letter) the withdrawal from the Union of 11 Southern states in the period 1860–61, which brought on the Civil War.

3. (usually initial capital letter) a style of art in Germany and Austria concurrent with and related to Art Nouveau.

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secession British  

/ sɪˈsɛʃən /

noun

1. the act of seceding

2. (often capital) the withdrawal in 1860–61 of 11 Southern states from the Union to form the Confederacy, precipitating the American Civil War

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secession Cultural  

1. The withdrawal from the United States of eleven southern states in 1860 and 1861. The seceding states formed a government, the Confederacy, in early 1861. Hostilities against the remaining United States, the Union, began in April 1861 (see Fort Sumter), and the Civil War followed.

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Other Word Forms

• nonsecession noun
• nonsecessional adjective
• secessional adjective
• secessionism noun
• secessionist noun

Etymology

Origin of secession

1525–35; < Latin sēcessiōn- (stem of sēcessiō ) withdrawal, equivalent to sēcess ( us ) (past participle of sēcēdere to secede; cession ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

"The public mobilization we see in Catalonia inspires us," she told AFP, referring to the northeastern region of Spain that mounted a secession bid in 2017.

From Barron's

But the Whigs dissolved as a party almost a full decade before Southern secession, and the political imbalance in the country only got worse.

From Salon

Two years later, he was sent to Nigeria to cover the civil war that followed the secession of the south-eastern region of Biafra.

From BBC

Mr Ho has been charged with subversion while the other six have been accused inciting secession and collusion with a foreign country or external forces.

From BBC

Backed by Russia, Abkhazia fought a war of secession with Georgia in 1992-93, before unilaterally declaring independence.

From BBC

Related Words

• breakaway
• breakup
• separation