Dictionary

lebensraum en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

A generalised use of Lebensraum.

Meanings

1. (with reference to nations and peoples) Hitherto unoccupied “living space” claimed as one’s rightful domain.
   • Geographers accepted this enlarged meaning of the term and spoke readily of geographical Räume and Lebensräume of peoples, even in cases where no real three-dimensional distribution was implied. 1949, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, volumes 39-40, self-published, page 115:
   • Even when there aren’t any explosions going on, when you’re scanning a distant compound with your sniper rifle, trying to decide which soldier would be the best one to kill first, before every enemy in a two-mile radius deduces your exact position like a vodka-drinking sextant, everything from a certain distance disappears into this weird glowing haze, like the Russians are occupying the surface of Mercury — which is beyond even the most liberal interpretation of lebensraum. 2010 (March 24th, 4:00pm): Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw, “Battlefield: Bad Company 2” reviewed by Zero Punctuation, 2:48–3:05

Forms

Relateds

manifest destiny · expansionism

Translations (16)

et eluruum (living space) · de Lebensraum (living space) · nl leefruimte (living space) · cs životní prostor (living space) · fi elintila (living space) · pt Lebensraum (living space) · ru ле́бенсра́ум (living space) · pl przestrzeń życiowa (living space) · it spazio vitale (living space) · is lífsrými (living space) · nl levensruimte (living space) · sv livsrum (living space) · cmn 生存空間 /生存空间 (living space) · fr espace vital (living space) · ru жи́зненное простра́нство (living space) · hu élettér (living space)