pre-emption
- noun
- /priˈɛmptʃən/
- Formal
- The government exercised its pre-emption rights to acquire the land for highway construction.
Examples
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The government exercised its right of pre-emption on the land.
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By law, pre-emption allows authorities to claim property before private buyers.
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Legislation detailing the scope of pre-emption is often debated in parliament.
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Many states have laws regarding pre-emption in property disputes.
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By law, pre-emption allows authorities to claim property before private buyers.
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The government exercised its pre-emption rights to acquire the land for highway construction.
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Many states have laws regarding pre-emption in property disputes.
Synonyms
A spoken claim to have something before others
A right that lets current shareholders buy new shares first to keep their share
Surface Forms
Morphology
pre-emption = pre-empt (semi-transparent) = pre + empt + ion
This is a regular noun formation from the verb 'pre-empt' referring to the act or right of pre-empting.
Etymology
The word pre-emption comes from pre- 'before' and the Latin root emere 'to buy' or 'to take', so it originally meant 'buying before' someone else, which is why today it means the right to claim or purchase something before others.