Evacuation

ɪˌvækjuˈeɪʃən

nounBeginner📊CommonAction
2 meanings3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

The act of removing someone from a dangerous place to a safer place.

ɪˌvækjuˈeɪʃən

nounneutralBeginner
Action

The action of removing someone from a place of danger to a safer place.

The hospital implemented an evacuation plan.

💡 Simply: Imagine a fire alarm goes off! Everyone has to leave the building to be safe. An evacuation is when you move people away from something dangerous to keep them safe.

👶 For kids: When everyone has to leave a place because it's not safe anymore.

More Examples

2

The residents were told of the mandatory evacuation.

3

The army conducted the successful evacuation of the civilians.

How It's Used

Disaster Response

"The town's evacuation was ordered due to the approaching hurricane."

Military

"The evacuation of the troops was swiftly executed after the battle."

Medical

"The patient's evacuation from the building was handled with great care and speed."

2

The removal of waste products or unwanted materials from a body or container.

ɪˌvækjuˈeɪʃən

nounneutralmedium
Process

The removal of waste or other matter from a body.

The procedure involved the evacuation of fluid from the injured joint.

💡 Simply: It also means getting rid of something unwanted from your body, like when you use the bathroom or when doctors remove a blockage.

👶 For kids: When your body gets rid of yucky stuff.

More Examples

2

Bowel evacuation is an essential bodily function.

3

The medical staff was focused on the evacuation of the blood clot.

How It's Used

Medical

"The doctor performed an evacuation of the hematoma."

Biological

"The digestive system is responsible for the evacuation of waste products."

Tip:Think of the body 'evacuating' waste like a ship evacuating water to stay afloat.

From Latin *evacuatio*, from *evacuare* 'to empty out', from *e-* 'out' + *vacuare* 'to make empty'. The term gained prominence during wartime and disaster relief scenarios.

The term gained widespread use during World War II for civilian protection from bombings and military offensives, and later expanded to describe responses to natural disasters.

Memory tip

Imagine an 'e' taking a vacation - leaving the dangerous place! Evacuation.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"to empty out"

mass evacuationmandatory evacuationcomplete evacuationorder an evacuationemergency evacuation

Common misspellings

evacutionevacutationevacuaition

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written