deforestation

verb (used with object)

1. to divest or clear of forests or trees: Poor planning deforested the area in ten years.

verb

1. (tr) to clear of treesAlso: disforest

n.

1884, from deforest + -ation. Earlier was deforesting (1530s) which was a legal term for the change in definition of a parcel of land from “forest” to something else.

v.

1880 in modern sense, from de- + forest. Related: Deforested; deforesting. Disforest in the sense “to clear of trees” is from 1660s. Disafforest is attested in this sense from 1842; originally it meant “reduce from the legal status of a forest” (1590s).

1. The cutting down and removal of all or most of the trees in a forested area. Deforestation can erode soils, contribute to desertification and the pollution of waterways, and decrease biodiversity through the destruction of habitat.

1. American electrical engineer and inventor who is known as “the father of radio.” He patented more than 300 inventions, including the triode electron tube, which made it possible to amplify and detect radio waves.

The process of destroying a forest and replacing it with something else. The term is used today to refer to the destruction of forests by human beings and their replacement by agricultural systems.