cession

noun

ces·​sion ˈse-shən How to pronounce cession (audio)
: a yielding to another : concession

Examples of cession in a Sentence

territorial cessions from one state to another The law required cession of the land to the heirs.
Recent Examples on the Web In 1788, there were three avenues for lawful colonisation: conquest through war; cession by treaty; and occupation of a land declared terra nullius. Maggie Knight-Williams, refinery29.com, 22 Jan. 2024 German citizens resented the cession of this land with its three million Germans, and over the course of the 1930s, Hitler became increasingly aggressive in demanding its return to his Third Reich. TIME, 16 Apr. 2024 The prevalence of smoking has significantly decreased since the 1990s, and countries have been enacting various attempts at cession for decades—including restrictions on smoking in public places. Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 In the meantime, the federal government assigned clerks to deal with the day-to-day logistics of the removal, appointed commissioners to negotiate land cessions, and mobilized thousands of soldiers to make the deportations a reality on the ground. David Treuer, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2020 See all Example Sentences for cession 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cession.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin cession-, cessio, from cedere to withdraw — more at cede

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cession was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near cession

Cite this Entry

“Cession.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cession. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

cession

noun
ces·​sion ˈsesh-ən How to pronounce cession (audio)
: a giving over (as of territory or rights) to another

Legal Definition

cession

noun
ces·​sion ˈse-shən How to pronounce cession (audio)
1
: an act of ceding : a yielding (as of property) to another: as
a
in the civil law of Louisiana : assignment or transfer of property rights by a debtor to a creditor
b
: transfer of liability by an insurer to a reinsurer
c
: transfer of control of or sovereignty over specific property or territory especially by treaty
such district…as may, by cession of particular States…become the seat of the government of the United StatesU.S. Constitution art. I
2
: the monetary amount of liability ceded by an insurer to a reinsurer compare concession

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