redaction

noun

re·​dac·​tion ri-ˈdak-shən 

1

: an act or instance of redacting something

2

: a work that has been redacted : edition, version

redactional

ri-ˈdak-shnəl 

-shə-nᵊl

adjective

Did you know?

Here's a quiz for all you etymology buffs. Can you pick the words from the following list that come from the same Latin root?

A. redaction B. prodigal C. agent D. essay
E. navigate F. ambiguous

If you guessed all of them, you are right. Now, for bonus points, name the Latin root that they all have in common. If you knew that it is the verb agere, meaning to "to drive, lead, act, or do," you get an A+. Redaction is from the Latin verb redigere ("to bring back" or "to reduce"), which was formed by adding the prefix red- (meaning "back") to agere. Some other agere offspring include act, agenda, cogent, litigate, chasten, agile, and transact.

Examples of redaction in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Much of what had not yet been seen by the public was the result of redactions that were removed in the new release. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025

But some of the documents are still at least partially redacted, despite Trump saying that the release wouldn’t include redactions. —Jared Gans, The Hill, 18 Mar. 2025

The records include redactions performed by prosecutors on the case to protect the identities of potential victims. —James Hill, ABC News, 27 Feb. 2025

To see the documents all drop suddenly, without redactions, was remarkable to scholars. —Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French rédaction, from Late Latin redaction-, redactio act of reducing, compressing, from Latin redigere to bring back, reduce, from re-, red- re- + agere to lead — more at agent

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for redaction

• abstraction
• attraction
• compaction
• contraction
• detraction
• diffraction
• distraction
• exaction
• extraction
• impaction
• inaction
• infraction

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