de-specialization
|de-spe-cial-i-za-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌdiːˌspɛʃəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌdiːˌspɛʃəlaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
undoing specialization
Etymology
'de-specialization' originates from the prefix 'de-' (from Latin 'de-') combined with 'specialization' (from English, ultimately from Latin 'specialis' via French 'specialisation'), where 'de-' meant 'removal' or 'reversal' and Latin 'specialis' (related to 'species') meant 'particular' or 'distinct'.
'specialization' entered English via French 'specialisation' and Medieval Latin 'specialisatio' from Latin 'specialis'; the modern noun 'specialization' became common in the 18th–19th centuries, and the productive prefix 'de-' was later attached to form 'de-specialization' to indicate reversal of that process.
Initially 'specialization' meant 'the process of making or being made specific or specialized'; adding the prefix 'de-' changed the sense to 'the process of reducing, undoing, or reversing specialization'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or policy of reducing specialization — for example, moving from narrowly defined specialist roles toward broader, generalist roles within an organization or system.
The de-specialization of the workforce has led to employees covering a wider range of tasks.
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Noun 2
in biology or ecology, the loss or reversal of specialized traits or adaptations in a species or population.
Researchers observed de-specialization in island species after environmental change reduced niche differentiation.
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Noun 3
in technology or systems design, the process of replacing or redesigning specialized components or functions with more general-purpose solutions.
The platform's de-specialization reduced the number of bespoke modules and simplified maintenance.
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Last updated: 2025/09/29 14:27