manumission means release from slavery or other legally sanctioned servitude; the giving of freedom; the act of manumitting. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
manumission is pronounced /mænjʊˈmɪʃən/.
Why “manumission” is a great word
MANUMISSION — [Noun] The formal act of a slaveholder freeing a person from slavery or servitude. From Middle English manumissioun, from Middle French manumission and its etymon Latin manūmissiō, from manūmittere ("to release from one's hand"), from manus ("hand") + mittere ("to send"). First attested in the 15th century. Unlike "emancipation," which implies a broad, systemic liberation, or "enfranchisement," which specifically bestows the rights of citizenship, manumission is a starkly personal transaction of power, a release granted rather than a right seized. It is the scratch of a pen on a legal document, the notary’s seal pressed into warm wax, and the terrifying, luminous void of a future suddenly held in one’s own hands—a conditional gift forever haunted by the shadow of the hand that let go.
Etymology
From Middle English manumissioun, from Middle French manumission and its etymon Latin manūmissiō.
noun
- Release from slavery or other legally sanctioned servitude; the giving of freedom; the act of manumitting.“The manumission of the slaves in New York has been gradual.”