reclamation

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/ˌrɛkləˈmeɪʃən/
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The act of taking something back or making it useful again, from land and waste material to money, rights, reputation, and neglected public meaning.

Examples

  • The investor filed a reclamation after the securities were delivered incorrectly.
  • The movement turned the old insult into an act of reclamation.
  • A careful reclamation plan can turn a landfill into a public park.
  • The memoir is a reclamation of a family history long treated with shame.
  • A successful reclamation returned the overpayment to the account.

Similar words

renewal
recoupment
comeback
redevelopment
restoration
restitution
repayment
reformation
retrieval
restoration

Meanings

Restoring waste to use

noun
environment
neutral
The restoring of damaged, waste, or unused land, water, or material to a useful condition, including creating usable land from water.

Usage

Use reclamation when the focus is on making land, water, or material useful again, especially after mining, dumping, pollution, flooding, or industrial use.

Examples

  • The reclamation of the abandoned mine reduced erosion and runoff.
  • Coastal reclamation added new land near the harbour.
  • The factory invested in water reclamation to reuse treated wastewater.
  • A careful reclamation plan can turn a landfill into a public park.
  • Rubber reclamation recovers usable material from old tyres.

Common mistakes

The noun is used as a verb, or it is treated as if it meant simple construction rather than recovery or restoration.
IncorrectCorrect
The company will reclamation the mine site next year. The company will reclaim the mine site next year.
The reclamation of the empty field built a mall. The development of the empty field built a mall.
Land reclamation always restores nature exactly as it was. Land reclamation makes land usable, but it may not restore nature exactly as it was.
The recycling plant handles reclamation people. The recycling plant handles material reclamation.

Similar words

Recovery by claim

noun
legal
neutral
The getting back of property, goods, rights, money, or payments, especially through a legal, commercial, or financial claim.

Usage

Use reclamation for a formal attempt to recover something owed, wrongly transferred, abandoned, unpaid, or held by someone else.

Examples

  • The seller sought reclamation of goods delivered to an insolvent buyer.
  • The investor filed a reclamation after the securities were delivered incorrectly.
  • State records explained the reclamation process for unclaimed funds.
  • The agency began reclamation of benefits paid after the recipient's death.
  • A successful reclamation returned the overpayment to the account.

Common mistakes

The noun is stretched into places where claim, refund, repossession, or reclaim is the natural word.
IncorrectCorrect
She sent a reclamation to the airline for the cancelled ticket. She sent a refund claim to the airline for the cancelled ticket.
The bank reclamationed the car after missed payments. The bank repossessed the car after missed payments.
The seller's reclamation was to complain loudly. The seller's reclamation was a legal demand to get the goods back.
He made a reclamation for his lost keys. He made a claim for his lost property.

Similar words

Rehabilitation from decline

noun
society
neutral
The bringing of a person, reputation, place, word, or idea back from discredit, neglect, or decline to a respected or useful state.

Usage

Use reclamation when something damaged in status or value is being deliberately recovered, repaired, or made honorable again.

Examples

  • The athlete's reclamation became one of the season's best stories.
  • The memoir is a reclamation of a family history long treated with shame.
  • Community leaders described the mural as a reclamation of public space.
  • Her careful reclamation of her reputation took years.
  • The movement turned the old insult into an act of reclamation.

Common mistakes

The word is used for any improvement, even when nothing has been lost, damaged, rejected, or taken back.
IncorrectCorrect
The team's reclamation began after its first winning season. The team's revival began after its first winning season.
Her reclamation of a brand-new award was emotional. Her acceptance of a brand-new award was emotional.
The city announced the reclamation of a neighbourhood that had never declined. The city announced the expansion of a neighbourhood that had never declined.
The essay's reclamation explained a neutral word for the first time. The essay's reclamation revalued a word that had been used against the group.

Similar words

Usage

Use reclamation for deliberate recovery or restoration, and use reclaim when the sentence needs the verb.

Common mistakes

To reclamation is wrong because reclamation is a noun. Use to reclaim for the action and reclamation for the process or result.

Etymology

From French réclamation and Latin reclamatio, originally a cry of protest or calling back, from reclamare, “to cry out against.” English later developed senses of claiming back, restoring waste land, and recovering useful material.

FAQ

What does reclamation mean?

Reclamation means taking something back or restoring it to use, value, ownership, or respect.

Is reclamation a noun or a verb?

Reclamation is a noun. The verb is reclaim.

What is land reclamation?

Land reclamation is the process of making land usable, often by restoring damaged land or creating land from water-covered areas.

What is mine reclamation?

Mine reclamation restores or stabilizes land after mining so it can be safer, cleaner, and useful again.

What does reclamation mean in finance?

In finance, reclamation is the recovery of property, payment, securities, or abandoned assets through a formal claim.

Can reclamation refer to reputation?

Yes. The reclamation of a reputation means rebuilding respect after damage, shame, or decline.

What is the difference between reclamation and restoration?

Restoration usually stresses returning something to an earlier state. Reclamation stresses taking it back or making it useful again.

Where does reclamation come from?

It comes from French and Latin words connected with calling out, protesting, and calling something back.

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