reservation

See also: réservation

English

Etymology

From Middle French reservation.

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌɹɛzəˈveɪʃən/
    • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˌɹɛzɚˈveɪʃən/
  • Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

reservation (countable and uncountable, plural reservations)

  1. The act of reserving, withholding or keeping back.
    The committee authorised the reservation of funds.
    1. The practice of reserving part of the consecrated bread of the Eucharist for the communion of the sick.
    2. The act of the pope to reserve to himself the right to nominate to certain benefices.
  2. Something that is withheld or kept back.
  3. (often in the plural) A limiting qualification regarding certainty; a doubt.
    I have reservations about your intentions.
    • 1992, Jonny Quest (video game review) in Your Sinclair (issue 75, page 16)
      Apart from the problemette with the punchy bits, I've got only one reservation with the game and that's that the tie-in element is a bit shaky to say the least.
  4. (US) A tract of land set apart by the US government for the use of a Native American people; Indian reservation (compare Canadian reserve).
    Hyponym: Hopi Reservation
  5. An arrangement by which accommodation or transport arrangements are secured in advance.
    I have a hotel reservation in the name of Mr Smith.
    • 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68:
      I haven't booked, so I don't have a clue as to whether the service will be busy or not. Supposedly, reservations are compulsory, but I want to find out what would happen if you just turn up.
  6. (UK) The area which separates opposing lanes of traffic on a divided motorway or dual carriageway; see also central reservation.
    A vehicle crashed through the central reservation into the path of oncoming traffic.
    • 2023 August 23, Chris Howe, “Green screen: HS2's route through the shires”, in RAIL, number 990, page 34:
      A three-lane motorway can be up to (or even more than) 35 metres wide, with a hard shoulder on either side and a central reservation.
  7. (India) The setting aside of a certain percentage of vacancies in government institutions for members of backward and underrepresented communities (defined primarily by caste and tribe).
  8. (law, politics) A power of an overseeing authority to suspend legislation in the jurisdiction being overseen pending the approval of a higher authority. Such as a provincial/state governor reserving a bill passed by the state/provincial legislature from assent, pending approval of the federal government; or a federal bill passed by federal parliament being reserved by the viceroy pending approval by the crown.
    Coordinate term: disallowance

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations
area separating two lanes of opposite-direction traffic — see median strip
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Further reading

Anagrams

Middle French

Noun

reservation f (plural reservations)

  1. reservation (limiting qualification)

Descendants
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