evacuation (n.)

c. 1400, "discharge from the body" (originally mostly of blood), from Old French évacuation and directly from Late Latin evacuationem (nominative evacuatio), noun of action from past participle stem of evacuare "to empty" (see evacuate). Military sense is by 1710. Of persons, by 1854.

also from c. 1400

Entries linking to evacuation

evacuate (v.)

early 15c., in medicine (Chauliac), evacuaten "expel (humors) from the body" (transitive), from Latin evacuatus, past participle of evacuare "to empty, make void, nullify," used by Pliny in reference to the bowels, used figuratively in Late Latin for "clear out;" from assimilated form of ex- "out" (see ex-) + vacuus "empty" (according to Watkins, from PIE *wak-, extended form of root *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out").

It replaced Middle English evacuen "draw off or expel (humors) from the body" (c. 1400). The military meaning "depart from, quit (a place)" is by 1710. The meaning "remove inhabitants to safer ground" is from 1934. The intransitive sense is attested from 1630s; of civilian persons by 1900. Related: Evacuated; evacuating.

Trends of evacuation

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to Explore

purgation

late 14c., purgacioun, "purification from sin," also "discharge of waste; evacuation of evil humors by bloodletting, etc....

perineum

the scrotum," also, in plural, "male genitals," said to be from peri "near" (see peri-) + inan "to empty, carry off by evacuation...

D-day

the same military order of Sept. 7, 1918: The First Army will attack at H-Hour on D-Day with the object of forcing the evacuation...

perspire

constantly going on in a healthy state; that it is always natural and always salutary; that sweat, on the contrary, is an evacuation...

ruination

"act of bringing to ruin, state of being brought to ruin," 1660s, noun of action or state from the now rare or obsolete verb ruinate "to go to ruin" (1540s), which is from Medieval Latin ruinatus, past participle of ruinare, from Latin ruina (see ruin (n.)). ruination is not, li

withdrawal

1820s, "act of taking back," also "retraction of a statement," from withdraw + -al (2). Earlier words in the same sense were withdrawment (1640s); withdraught (mid-14c.). Meaning "removal of money from a bank, etc." is from 1861; psychological sense is from 1916; meaning "physica

nadir

late 14c., in astronomy, "imaginary point of the celestial sphere vertically opposite to the zenith of the sun; the inferior pole of the horizon," from Medieval Latin nadir, from Arabic nazir "opposite to," in nazir as-samt, literally "opposite direction," from nazir "opposite" +

drain

Middle English dreinen, from Old English dreahnian "to draw off gradually, as a liquid; remove by degrees; strain out," from Proto-Germanic *dreug-, source of drought, dry, giving the English word originally a sense of "to make dry." Figurative meaning of "exhaust" is attested fr

incontinence

late 14c., "inability to restrain sexual desire, sexual immorality," later "inability to keep to a religious rule" (early 15c.), from Old French incontinence "lack of abstinence, unchastity" (12c.) or directly from Latin incontinentia "greediness; incontinence, inability to conta

micturition

1725, "the need very badly to urinate," from Latin micturitum, from past participle of micturire "to desire to urinate," desiderative of mingere "to urinate," from PIE root *meigh- "to urinate." As during the final 20 minutes of a 4-hour film after drinking a 32-ounce Mountain De

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updated on September 28, 2017

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