Semantic Boundaries Of The Terms “Irrigation” And “Land Reclamation (Melioration)”: An Analysis Of Conceptual Scope And Content

Abstract

The terms irrigation and land reclamation (melioration) are frequently used side by side in agricultural engineering, water governance, and academic discourse, yet their semantic boundaries are often blurred by institutional naming traditions, translation practices, and overlapping technological processes. This article examines the conceptual scope and content of both terms to clarify where they coincide and where they diverge. Using a terminological approach grounded in definitional analysis and concept-structure modeling, the study synthesizes dictionary and normative definitions, domain texts from agronomy and water management, and principles of terminology work. The results show that irrigation is conceptually centered on the purposeful, controlled application and distribution of water to agricultural land or crops to supplement natural moisture, while melioration denotes a broader complex of long-term measures aimed at the radical improvement of unfavorable land conditions, including but not limited to irrigation, drainage, salinity control, soil amendments, and protective engineering. The discussion highlights major sources of ambiguity: scope narrowing of melioration in some regional usages to mean primarily drainage and salinity mitigation; polysemy of English land reclamation beyond agriculture; and metonymic shifts in administrative discourse. The article concludes with implications for terminology standardization, translation, and the compilation of critical domain glossaries.