Dictionary entry

Evacuation

Webster's Dictionary 1913

E‐vac′u‐a″tion (?), n. [L. evacuatio: cf. F. évacuation.] 1. The act of emptying, clearing of the contents, or discharging. Specifically: (a) (Mil.) Withdrawal of troops from a town, fortress, etc. (b) (Med.) 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.

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

3. Abolition; nullification. Hooker.

Evacuation day, the anniversary of the day on which the British army evacuated the city of New York, November 25, 1783.