BharatNotes Evacuation
nounUsage in a UPSC answer
In the wake of recurrent cyclones along the eastern seaboard, the success of the State's disaster-management apparatus hinges less on dramatic rescue than on the unglamorous discipline of pre-emptive evacuation — moving vulnerable coastal populations to cyclone shelters well before landfall, a practice that has helped Odisha reduce fatalities from hundreds of thousands to single digits.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
evacuate (v), evacuee (n), evacuator (n), evacuated (adj), evacuating (v pres.p)
Root
Latin evacuare = to empty out; e- = out of; vacuus = empty, vacant; -ion = noun suffix
Etymology
From Late Latin evacuationem, from evacuare ("to empty out"), combining e- ("out of") + vacuus ("empty, vacant"); the military sense dates to 1710, and the meaning "removal of civilians to safer ground" emerged in 1934.
Memory Hook
Think "e-VACU-ation" = creating a VACU-um (empty space): from Latin vacuus "empty," it is the act of emptying a place of its people — leaving it as vacant as a vacuum.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
