refoulement

Meanings

nounrefoulement (countable and uncountable, plural refoulements)

plural refoulements · alternative refoulment

uncountableinternational lawThe involuntary sending of refugees or asylum seekers to their country of origin or another one, where they are likely to face persecution and harm.
He also expressed concern that at the same time there could be cases of refoulement with asylum seekers being returned to their countries of origin, where they are at risk of persecution and in an apparent breach of international law.
2020 August 26, Gabriel Ewepu-Abuja, “AYM [Afrika Youth Movement] receives UNESCO’s Support to Create Awareness on Migration, COVID-19 in Nigeria, 7 Others”, in Vanguard, Lagos, Nigeria: Vanguard Media
Antonyms: non-refoulement
countableinternational lawAn instance thereof.
Antonyms: non-refoulement
archaicuncountableThe forced relocation of a group of people.
archaiccountableAn instance of that relocation.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe involuntary sending of refugees or asylum seekers to their country of origin or another one, where they are likely to face persecution and harm.

Opposite

non-refoulement

nounAn instance thereof.

Opposite

non-refoulement

Origin

Proto-Indo-European*bʰleh₃-“to blow; to inflate, swell”
Latinfullō“one who fulls cloth, fuller”
Medieval Latinfullare“to make cloth denser and firmer by soaking, beating and pressing, to full”
Frenchrefoulement“act of pushing something back (as gunpowder into a gun barrel, or water by a dam); act of water overflowing; forced relocation of a group of people; forced repatriation of asylum-seekers or refugees”
Englishrefoulement

Borrowed from French refoulement (“act of pushing something back (as gunpowder into a gun barrel, or water by a dam); act of water overflowing; forced relocation of a group of people; forced repatriation of asylum-seekers or refugees”), from refouler (“to cause to flow or turn back; to repress, suppress; to repulse; to trample on again”) (from re- (prefix meaning ‘again’) + fouler (“to impress, stamp; to trample, walk on; to mistreat, oppress”) (ultimately from Medieval Latin fullare (“to make cloth denser and firmer by soaking, beating and pressing, to full”), from Latin fullō (“one who fulls cloth, fuller”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (“to blow; to inflate, swell”)) + -ment (suffix forming nouns from verbs, usually denoting resulting actions or states).

More words from French, Medieval Latin, Latin

Full word history & related roots →