lebensraum
/ˈleɪbənzˌɹaʊm/ noun, proper noun
Forms lebensräume
- noun (chiefly with reference to nations and peoples) Hitherto unoccupied “living space” claimed as one’s rightful domain.
- proper noun (in early usage) an empire in the form of overseas colonies, in imitation of contemporary powers such as Britain and France.
- proper noun (in later usage, Nazism) a Großdeutschland obtained through Endoeuropean expansion, usually with a focus upon Drang nach Osten, and varying in its scope from the comparatively modest annexation of the Polish Border Strip to overlordship of the European continent by the conquest of Russian lands as far as the Urals.
Synonyms
Etymology
A generalised use of Lebensraum.
Unadapted borrowing from German Lebensraum (literally “living space”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “lebensraum”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details