The act of formally ending or eliminating a practice, law, or institution, most notably referring to the movement to end slavery. Abolition movements sought to completely eradicate rather than merely reform the targeted institution.
From Latin 'abolitio' meaning 'destruction' or 'annulment,' from 'abolere' (to destroy utterly). The term gained specific historical significance during the 18th-19th centuries when applied to anti-slavery movements across Europe and the Americas.
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