Definitions for impressment
ɪmˈprɛs məntim·press·ment

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 2 votes

1. impress, impressmentnoun

   the act of coercing someone into government service

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.3 / 4 votes

1. impressmentnoun

   The act of seizing for public use; impressing into public service.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Impressment

   Impressment, colloquially "the press" or the "press gang", is the taking of men into a military or naval force by compulsion, with or without notice. European navies of several nations used forced recruitment by various means. The large size of the British Royal Navy in the Age of Sail meant impressment was most commonly associated with Great Britain and Ireland. It was used by the Royal Navy in wartime, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice can be traced back to the time of Edward I of England. The Royal Navy impressed many merchant sailors, as well as some sailors from other, mostly European, nations. People liable to impressment were "eligible men of seafaring habits between the ages of 18 and 55 years". Non-seamen were sometimes impressed as well, though rarely. In addition to the Royal Navy's use of impressment, the British Army also experimented with impressment from 1778 to 1780. Impressment was strongly criticized by those who believed it to be contrary to the British constitution. Though the public opposed conscription in general, impressment was repeatedly upheld by the courts, as it was deemed vital to the strength of the navy and, by extension, to the survival of the British realm and influence. Impressment was essentially a Royal Navy practice, reflecting the sheer size of the British fleet and its substantial manpower demands. While other European navies applied forced recruitment in times of war, this was generally done as an extension of the practice of formal conscription applied by most European armies from the Napoleonic Wars on. The U.S. Continental Navy also applied a form of impressment during the American War of Independence. The impressment of seamen from American ships caused serious tensions between Britain and the Thirteen Colonies in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. One of the 27 colonial grievances enumerated in the Declaration of Independence directly highlights the practice. It was again a cause of tension leading up to the War of 1812. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Britain formally ended the practice; later conscription was not limited to the Royal Navy but covered all British armed forces.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. impressment

   Impressment refers to a practice largely employed by the British Royal Navy during the 17th and 18th centuries, where men were forced into military service. It involved "impressing" or seizing individuals without notice and requiring them to serve in the naval forces. This controversial act often resulted in resentment and resistance from those subjected to it.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. Impressmentnoun

   the act of seizing for public use, or of impressing into public service; compulsion to serve; as, the impressment of provisions or of sailors

WikidataRate this definition:3.3 / 3 votes

1. Impressment

   Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", refers to the act of taking men into a navy by force and with or without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to the time of Edward I of England. The Royal Navy impressed many merchant sailors, as well as some sailors from other nations. People liable to impressment were "eligible men of seafaring habits between the ages of 18 and 45 years". Non-seamen were impressed as well, though rarely. Impressment was strongly criticized by those who believed it to be contrary to the British constitution; at the time, unlike many of its continental rivals, Britain did not conscript its subjects for any other military service, aside from a brief experiment with army impressment in 1778 to 1780. Though the public opposed conscription in general, impressment was repeatedly upheld by the courts, as it was deemed vital to the strength of the navy and, by extension, to the survival of the realm. The impressment of seamen from American ships caused serious tensions between Britain and the United States in the years leading up to the War of 1812. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, Britain ended the practice and never resumed it.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Impressment

   im-pres′ment, n. the act of impressing or seizing for service, esp. in the navy. [A word coined from press, in pressgang.]

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:2.3 / 3 votes

1. Impressment

   legalised enforcement of service in the British navy, which has for years been in abeyance, and is not likely to be ever again revived.

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:4.5 / 2 votes

1. impressment

   The system and act of pressing seamen, and compelling them--under plea of state necessity--to serve in our men-of-war.

Matched Categories

1. • Seizure

How to pronounce impressment?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say impressment in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of impressment in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of impressment in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=impressment
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Impressment
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressment
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impressment
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=impressment
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=impressment
8. ^ The Nuttall Encyclopedia
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12342/pg12342-images.html#Impressment
9. ^ Dictionary of Nautical Terms
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26000/pg26000-images.html#:~:text=impressment