pre-emption
/priˈɛmpʃn
/noun [mass noun]
1The purchase of goods or shares by one person or party before the opportunity is offered to others: the commission had the right of pre-emption...
- Mrs. Clarke would prefer this to be a right of pre-emption and that if the Purchaser exercises its right completion will take place twenty eight days thereafter.
- In pre-emption articles, it is usual to find, as here, a permitted class of transferee or a provision for transfer to a non-member in the event that no existing member is willing to purchase the shares.
- I needed to sort out a way of creating pre-emption provisions and to retain control.
1.1 historical, chiefly North American & Australian /NZ The right to purchase public land before the opportunity is offered to others.The right of pre-emption or exclusive purchase in the same article was used by the Crown to lawfully extinguish Maori customary title and thereby allow alienation....
- Increased land sales and pre-emption laws (which authorised settlers to stake claims on most surveyed lands) had facilitated rapid settlement of the Midwest and the Old Southwest.
- The table below shows how, as the Crown's policy of pre-emption took effect, the burden of providing revenue fell upon Maori to finance the colony's development.
2The action of pre-empting or forestalling, especially of making a pre-emptive attack: damaging retaliation for any attempt at pre-emption...
- True, there may be a tolerance of pre-emption if an attack is imminent.
- Patriots, of whatever social provenance, would never accept any action likely to damage prospects of victory, and might well attempt pre-emption if such an action were anticipated.
- This is not retribution but pre-emption, finding appropriate force to prevent a further attack.
Origin
Early 17th century: from medieval Latin praeemptio(n-), from the verb praeemere, from prae 'in advance' + emere 'buy'.