The "A" Word • Definition

		ANNEX·ATION (nk-sshn) n. tr.v. an·nexed, an·nex·ing, an·nex·es 1. To append or attach, especially to a larger or more significant thing. 2. To incorporate (territory) into an existing political unit such as a country, state, county, or city. 3. To add or attach, as an attribute, condition, or consequence. ANNEX n. (nks, nks) 1. A building added on to a larger one or an auxiliary building situated near a main one. 2. An addition, such as an appendix, that is made to a record or other document.
More recently, certain sources have attempted to associate an alternate legal meaning to this term. Notably, Encyclopedia Britannia has asserted that annexation differs from a cession because it is "a unilateral act made effective by actual possession and legitimized by general recognition". As we will explore in this section, you will discover that this interpretation is contradicted by many the many historical instances in which the term annexation was used it's a classical context, and based on a multilateral agreement, often with the consent of a population who has democratically given it's ascent for such a transfer of sovereign power. Fortunately, a recent disambiguation was added on their definition specifying that this is a definition applicable in the legal sense only. We must assume that this is in turn limited to British Law specifically, since other countries have consistently used the term annexation in it's classically recognized definition: An incorporation (of  territory) into an existing political unit such as a country, state, county, or city. It is reasonable to assume that Encyclopedia Britannia, being a British reference and source, would have a natural inflexion to provide a negative connotation to a word that has mainly challenged the interests of the British Empire in the historical context of North America specifically. However, that is not wrong or a bad thing in itself, as long as the proper context is established. It seems convenient for interested sources to confuse the term annexation with occupation, but as we will now discover, there is a good reason why they exist independently of one another. This friendly "War of the Words" will probably persist as democratically opposed camps joust for influence over public opinion in this continuing dance of subjectiveness.