secession

views updated

se·ces·sion / səˈseshən/ • n. the action of withdrawing formally from membership of a federation or body, esp. a political state: the republics want secession from the union. ∎  (the Secession) hist. the withdrawal of eleven Southern states from the Union in 1860, leading to the Civil War. ∎  (the Secession) variant of Sezession.DERIVATIVES: se·ces·sion·al / -shənl/ adj.se·ces·sion·ism / -ˌnizəm/ n.se·ces·sion·ist / -ist/ n.

More From encyclopedia.com