centralisation
|cen-tral-i-sa-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌsɛntrəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌsentrəlaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
making things central / bringing control to the centre
Etymology
'centralisation' originates from French, specifically the word 'centralisation', where 'central' came from Latin 'centralis' and ultimately from Greek 'kentron' meaning 'center' or 'sharp point'.
'centralisation' changed from the French word 'centralisation' (19th century usage) and was borrowed into English as 'centralisation'; the formation uses the suffix '-isation' (from French '-isation') attached to 'central'.
Initially, it meant 'the process of making something central' or 'the state of being centralized', and over time the term has retained that core meaning while broadening to cover administrative, economic, and technical forms of centralizing.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or policy of concentrating control, authority, or decision-making in a single central organization or authority.
The centralisation of power in the capital reduced the autonomy of regional governments.
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Noun 2
the act of bringing functions, services, or data together into a single location or system (often used in administrative, economic, or technical contexts).
The company's centralisation of its IT systems improved maintenance but created a single point of failure.
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Last updated: 2025/10/18 20:05