redaction

noun

re·​dac·​tion ri-ˈdak-shən How to pronounce redaction (audio)
1
: an act or instance of redacting something
2
: a work that has been redacted : edition, version
redactional
ri-ˈdak-shnəl How to pronounce redaction (audio)
-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 Silvestre said the school board has been reevaluating its redactions to see if any more content could be shared publicly. Nicole Asbury, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024 The incriminating findings with redactions were kept secret until July 2016. Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 5 Feb. 2024 On top of that, the GAO found, the Administrative Office has at times ignored its legal requirement to submit annual reports to Congress on how judges are using their redaction authority. Brett Murphy, ProPublica, 13 Dec. 2023 Thirty-eight of those cases were provided to the Statesman without redactions of the outcomes. Rachel Spacek, Idaho Statesman, 25 Jan. 2024 The redaction of these stories in our cultural folklore supports an enterprise that erases Black people from American history, and this is the part that's most critical for marketers. Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 Officials made several copies of the version with the redactions, which some Trump aides planned to release publicly. Jonathan Swan, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2023 Doe 107 cited physical danger in her home country, and the Herald agreed to maintain that redaction. Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2024 The judge later ordered Giuffre's deposition to be stricken from the record and re-filed with new redactions. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 9 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'redaction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of redaction was in 1785

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near redaction

Cite this Entry

“Redaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/redaction. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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