Agency Dictionary
deforestation
nounPronunciation: /diːˌfɒrɪˈsteɪʃən/
In Portuguese: desmatamento
Climate & SustainabilityWhat does “deforestation” mean?
The purposeful permanent clearing of forested land for timber, agriculture, grazing, or urban infrastructure.
Etymology
Formed from the verb deforest with the suffix -ation; deforest joins de-, "removal", to forest. Forest came through Old French from Medieval Latin forestis, first used of woodland kept for the royal hunt, a word usually connected with Latin foris, "outside", though that link is not certain. In the sense of clearing land of its trees, deforestation is recorded from the 1870s.
Usage note
The word implies lasting removal of forest and its replacement by another land use; the felling of trees that are then replanted is usually called logging or harvesting.
Synonyms
- forest clearance
- clearing
- logging
- clear-cutting
Often confused with
- forest degradation
- Degradation thins or damages a forest, by fire or selective logging, while the forest remains; deforestation removes the tree cover altogether.
Word family
- deforest
- deforested
- forest
- reforestation
- afforestation
- forestry
Rhymes with
- nation
- station
- creation
- foundation
- vacation
- relation
- education
- celebration
Concept
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
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