Etymology : Middle English, to draw off morbid humors, from Latin evacuatus, past participle of evacuare to empty, from e- + vacuus empty
Pronunciation : i-va-ky&-"wAt
Function : verb
Date : 15th century
1. clear people out, remove people (from a dangerous area, war zone, etc.); leave, vacate; withdraw; discharge the contents of. evacuate\e*vac"u*ate\ , v. t. [imp. & p. p. evacuated ; p. pr. & vb. n. evacuating.] [l. evacuatus, p. p. of evacuare to empty, nullify; e out + vacuus empty, vacare to be empty. see:
vacate.].
2. to make empty; to empty out; to remove the contents of; as, to evacuate a vessel or dish.
3. fig.: to make empty; to deprive. [r.] evacuate the scriptures of their most important meaning.
4. to remove; to eject; to void; to discharge, as the contents of a vessel, or of the bowels.
5. to withdraw from; to quit; to retire from; as, soldiers from a country, city, or fortress. the norwegians were forced to evacuate the country.
6. to make void; to nullify; to vacate; as, to evacuate a contract or marriage. [obs.]evacuate \e*vac"u*ate\, v. i. to let blood [obs.]evacuate v.
7. move out of an unsafe location into safety; "after the earthquake, residents were evacuated".
8. empty completely; "evacuate the bottle".
9. move people from their homes or country.
10. create a vacuum in (a bulb, flask, reaction vessel, etc.) [syn: exhaust].
11. excrete or discharge from the body [syn: void, eliminate, empty].
12. To make empty; to empty out; to remove the contents of; as, to evacuate a vessel or dish.
13. Fig.: To make empty; to deprive.
14. To remove; to eject; to void; to discharge, as the contents of a vessel, or of the bowels.
15. To withdraw from; to quit; to retire from; as, soldiers from a country, city, or fortress.
16. To make void; to nullify; to vacate; as, to evacuate a contract or marriage.
17. To let blood excrete or discharge from the body empty completely; "evacuate the bottle" create a vacuum in move out of an unsafe location into safety; "After the earthquake, residents were evacuated" move people from their homes or country.
18. 1. To evacuate someone means to send them to a place of safety, away from a dangerous building, town, or area. They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country Since 1951, 18,000 people have been evacuated from the area. + evacuation evacuations evacu·ation the evacuation of the sick and wounded An evacuation of the city's four-million inhabitants is planned for later this week.
19. If people evacuate a place, they move out of it for a period of time, especially because it is dangerous. The fire is threatening about sixty homes, and residents have evacuated the area Officials ordered the residents to evacuate. + evacuation evacuations evacu·ation the mass evacuation of the Bosnian town of Srebrenica Burning sulfur from the wreck has forced evacuations from the area.