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Definition: impressment from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary

pronunciationpronunciation

(1787) : the act of seizing for public use or of impressing into public service

impressment

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
forcible enrollment of recruits for military duty. Before the establishment of conscription , many countries supplemented their militia and mercenary troops by impressment. In England, impressment began as early as the Anglo-Saxon period and was used extensively under Elizabeth I, Charles I, and Oliver Cromwell. “Press gangs” forcibly seized and carried individuals into service; frequently subjects of foreign countries were taken. After 1800, England restricted impressment mostly to naval service. The Napoleonic Wars increased English need for sea power and led to the impressment of a large number of deserters, criminals, and British subjects who had become naturalized Americans. (Until 1850, England did not recognize the right of a man to renounce his nationality.) Frequent interception of American ships (see Chesapeake ) to impress American citizens was a major cause of the War of 1812. England generally abandoned such forcible measures after 1835. In Prussia, impressment was…
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Full text Article impressment

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
forcible enrollment of recruits for military duty. Before the establishment of conscription , many countries supplemented their militia and mercenary troops by impressment. In England, impressment began as early as the Anglo-Saxon period and was used extensively under Elizabeth I, Charles I, and…
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Full text Article impressment,

From The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea
The Press Gang; watercolour by T. Rowlandson
the name given to the British government's requirements for an individual to serve in defence of his country; it was never employed in the US Navy. Although universally known as ‘press’ or ‘impress’, the origin of the word is ‘prest’, a sum of money advanced to a man in the form of conduct money to…
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Full text Article impressment

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
System of forced conscription, often of the poor or destitute, into the armed forces, particularly the Royal Navy, employed in the 18th and 19th centuries. In effect it was a form of kidnapping carried out by the services or their agents, often with the aid of armed men. This was similar to the…
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Full text Article impress 1

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
To affect strongly, often favorably: wrote down whatever impressed me during the journey; was impressed by the child's sincerity. To produce or attempt to produce a vivid impression or image of: a scene that impressed itself on her memory; parents that impress the value of money on their children. …
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Full text Article IMPRESSMENT CONTROVERSY

From The Reader's Companion to American History
The impressment controversy of the early 1800s grew from the British navy's long-standing practice of augmenting its crews with sailors forcibly taken from coastal towns and merchant ships. After the American Revolution, the British no longer sent “press gangs” onto American soil in search of crews, …
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Full text Article impress

From Collins Spanish Dictionary
[VT] ɪmˈpres 1 (= make good impression on ) impresionar • he does it just to impress people lo hace sólo para impresionar a la gente • he is not easily impressed no se deja impresionar fácilmente • how did she impress you? ¿qué impresión te hizo o causó? • he impressed me quite favourably me hizo…
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Full text Article impressment

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Enforcement of military or naval service on unwilling men. Until the early 19th century, it flourished in port towns everywhere, as “recruiters” searched through waterfront boardinghouses, brothels, and taverns. They often chose vagabonds or prisoners. Impressed men were forced into service through…
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Full text Article Neurological Impress Method

From Encyclopedia of Special Education: A Reference for the Education of Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Disabilities and Other Exceptional Individuals
The neurological impress method was developed to facilitate reading among children with severe reading disabilities ( Hecklman ,; Langford, Slade, & Barnett ,). It may be most effective with students beyond 10 years of age. In this approach, teacher and student read aloud at a rapid pace, with…
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The earliest Neolithic cultures of the western Mediterranean. The Impressed Pottery cultures originated in the western Balkans around 6000 BC and spread west along the coasts to Italy, southern France, Spain and across the Straits of Gibraltar to Morocco and Algeria. The cultures are named for their…
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Full text Article impressible

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
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