plural res
: a particular thing : matter
used especially in legal phrases

res

2 of 3

noun (2)

less common spelling of rez

1
: a tract of land set aside for Indigenous people of the United States and Canada : reservation, reserve
Our grandparents and great-grandparents worked to keep our land and our rights. … If Chief Migizi or Shabashkung or whoever had called it quits and moved to White Earth we wouldn't even have a rez.David Treuer
On weekends or holidays, we all went to our respective parents' rezzes to visit our grandparents and extended families.Elaine Bomberry
We follow the sounds of people singing forty-niner songs, funny songs about rez life set to drumming.Angeline Boulley
usually used with the
Although River identifies as indigenous, she has been raised in a non-indigenous community. … She is unsure of what life on the rez will be …Patricia Jermey
Life on the res, always hard, was made even worse by the Allotment, or Dawes, Act of 1887, which mandated that collective lands be divided into private lots.Christian Parenti
The last glimmers of day covered the rez roads, but the trees shrouded the path in darkness, a tunnel of never-ending night.Morgan Talty
2
: the people living on a rez
usually used with the
[Nicco] Montaño grew up in eastern Arizona with her mother, who is Navajo. Many of her Native American friends and supporters were in Las Vegas to support her Friday night. "I think the whole rez is here," she said.Rick Wright

res

3 of 3

abbreviation

1
research
2
reserve
3
reservoir
4
residence; resident
5
resolution

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Latin — more at real

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1732, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of res was circa 1732

Dictionary Entries Near res

Cite this Entry

“Res.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/res. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

RES

abbreviation
reticuloendothelial system

Legal Definition

res

noun
1
: a thing (as a property, interest, or status) as opposed to a person that is the object of rights and especially that is the subject matter of litigation
a court with jurisdiction over the res of the suit
compare in personam, in rem, quasi in rem
2
: corpus
the res of the trust was the marital homeStopka v. Commercial Embroidery, Inc., 428 N.E.2d 1130 (1981)
Etymology

Noun

Latin

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