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Glite Dictionary
irridentism

irridentism

9.9
A political idea that a country should take back land where people share its culture or past
  • noun
  • /ˌɪrɪˈdɛntɪzəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : irredentismo
  • Many conflicts in the region stem from irridentism and disputed borders.

Examples

  • The rise of irridentism caused tensions between neighboring countries.

  • She studied the impact of irridentism on modern European history.

  • The concept of irridentism is often debated in political science.

  • Many countries have faced challenges related to irridentism throughout history.

  • Many conflicts in the region stem from irridentism and disputed borders.

  • The rise of irridentism caused tensions between neighboring countries.

  • She studied the impact of irridentism on modern European history.

Synonyms

irredentism
vsirridentism
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A political belief that a country should get back land it once had

focuses on reclaiming lands inhabited by people with shared ethnic or historical ties
territorialism
vsirridentism
1 8.4

A political idea to control and expand a country's land and borders

is narrower aiming to reclaim specific lands tied by population or history

Surface Forms

irridentism singular
irridentisms plural

Morphology

irridentism = irredentist (opaque) = irredent + ism

Although '-ism' marks an ideology, the root 'irredent-' is a foreign-derived combining element that is not a productive or familiar English morpheme for most learners, so the meaning is not directly derivable.

Etymology

Irridentism comes from Italian irredentismo, made of ir- 'not' and the same root as redeem meaning 'to buy back'. So, irridentism is the idea of trying to take back lands seen as 'not yet returned', which is why it means a policy to reclaim territory.