evacuation

English

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evacuation

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English evacuacioun, from Old French evacuation, from Late Latin ēvacuātiō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪˌvækjuˈeɪʃən/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

evacuation (countable and uncountable, plural evacuations)

1. The act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety.
   • 1944 September and October, “A Busy Month”, in Railway Magazine, page 259:

     The peak of the record-breaking month came during the fourth week, when the railways were called upon to handle the transport side of the official evacuation from the London area. During the first seven days of this evacuation, 175 special trains left the main London termini carrying mothers and children to the safety of the countryside.

2. Withdrawal of troops or civils from a town, country, fortress, etc.
   • 1940 July, “Notes and News: A Magnificent Transport Achievement”, in Railway Magazine, page 420:

     The operating difficulties of this evacuation movement were further intensified by the fact that Sunday, June 2, saw the movement of nearly 48,000 children in 70 trains from Kentish and other East Coast towns, and 32 of these trains originated on the Southern Railway. [...] Moreover, during the period of intensive B.E.F. evacuation, the British railways also carried some 20,000,000 passengers and over 6,000,000 tons of freight.

3. The act of emptying, clearing of the contents, or discharging, including creating a vacuum.
4. Voidance of any matter by the natural passages of the body or by an artificial opening; defecation; also, a diminution of the fluids of an animal body by cathartics, venesection, or other means.
   • 1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 561:

     A large evening meal, deep sleep in a better bed than hers, a full evacuation, a hot bath (her own house had only a cold shower), a breakfast of bacon and eggs and sausages from Crabbe's boy — these had smoothed and restored her.

5. That which is evacuated or discharged; especially, a discharge by stool or other natural means.
   • 1685, John Pechey, The Storehouse of Physical Practice:

     The Abſcess being broken an Ulcer is left behind, which may be known by the Evacuation of Matter by Vomit and Stool

6. Abolition; nullification.
   • 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, , London: Will Stansby , published 1611, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     evacuation of all Romish ceremonies

Derived terms

• evac
• Evacuation Day
• intact dilation and evacuation
• med-evac
• noncombatant evacuation operations
• tactical aeromedical evacuation

Related terms

• evacuee
• evacuate
• evacuation slide

Translations

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Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ēvacuātiō.

Noun

evacuation oblique singular, f (oblique plural evacuations, nominative singular evacuation, nominative plural evacuations)

1. (medicine) evacuation (of the bowels)