disafforest

English

Etymology

From dis- +‎ afforest.

Verb

disafforest (third-person singular simple present disafforests, present participle disafforesting, simple past and past participle disafforested)

1. To deforest.
2. (UK, law) To change the status of land from that of a forest to ordinary land.
   • 1760, Edmund Burke, “An Essay towards an Abridgment of the English History. […]”, in [Walker King], editor, The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, new edition, volume X, London: […] [R. Gilbert] for C[harles] and J[ohn] Rivington, […], published 1826, →OCLC, book III, page 534:

     The Charter of the Forests had for its object the disafforesting several of those tracts; the prevention of future afforestings: the mitigation and ascertainment of the punishments for breaches of the Forest Law.

Derived terms

• disafforestation
• disafforestment

 

Related terms

• deafforest