demilitarized zone
8
4.8
- noun
- /ˌdɛmɪˈlɪtəˌraɪzd zoʊn/
- Formal
:
zona desmilitarizada
- For the first time, the subject of a demilitarized zone was discussed.
- establishment of a demilitarized zone
President Trump, the North Koreans have violated the Demilitarized Zone.
- President Trump, the North Koreans have violated the Demilitarized Zone.
- You know, maybe there's some kind of Demilitarized Zone, you know, Korea.
Examples
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The armistice had left the most crucial territorial issue, the question of sovereignty over the demilitarized zone, undecided.
Academic text (2016) -
South Korea began to clear landmines buried in the demilitarized zone to prepare for the reconnection of the railway.
Academic text (2002) -
We are now inside the demilitarized zone.
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This is a supply line to the demilitarized zone.
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What is this demilitarised zone?
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What is a demilitarised zone?
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The condition for such withdrawal was that the area would be established as a demilitarized zone.
Academic text (2016) -
The demilitarized zone between North and South Korea is effectively a wildlife preserve.
Academic text (1990) -
While Bunche's proposal for a demilitarized zone was being considered, Israel suddenly launched a new military operation.
Academic text (2016) -
The world's longest-standing border barrier is the 148-mile demilitarized zone that has separated North and South Korea since 1953.
Synonyms
55
8.1
An area between countries where soldiers and weapons are not allowed
3
4.6
An area where no one fights or competes
How Demilitarized
- Formal
8
4.8
8
4.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning of 'demilitarized zone' is directly compositional: 'demilitarize' means to remove military forces and 'zone' is an area, so the phrase denotes an area without military forces. This structure and the morpheme 'de-' + 'militarize' are transparent and cross-linguistically parallel, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Demilitarized zone comes from the image of a place where the demilitarized part means 'no soldiers or weapons' and the zone is a space between two sides. That's why it means a protected area kept free of military forces.