evacuation

B2
US /ɪˌvækjuˈeɪʃən/
noun Freq #9596

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    The act of evacuating; leaving a place in an orderly fashion, especially for safety.

    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. 2
    noun

    Withdrawal of troops or civils from a town, country, fortress, etc.

    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. 3
    noun

    Voidance of any matter by the natural passages of the body or by an artificial opening; defecation; urination; also, a diminution of the fluids of an animal body by cathartics, venesection, or other means.

    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.

  4. 4
    noun

    That which is evacuated or discharged; especially, a discharge by stool, urine or other natural means.

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

  5. 5
    noun

    Abolition; nullification.

    evacuation of all Romish ceremonies

  6. 6
    noun

    the act of evacuating

  7. 7
    noun

    the act of removing the contents of something

  8. 8
    noun

    the bodily process of discharging waste matter

Etymology

From Middle English evacuacioun, from Old French evacuation, from Late Latin ēvacuātiō. Equivalent to evacuate + -ion.

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Thesaurus

Synonyms
7 noun · the act of removing the... emptyingvoidance
8 noun · the bodily process of... eliminationexcretingexcretionvoiding
Word family
Derived forms casevacevacmed-evacnonevacuationself-evacuation
Related forms evacuateevacuee

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