Coalition

How to spell coalition

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce coalition

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does coalition mean?

1. nounA temporary alliance of distinct parties, groups, or nations formed to pursue a common goal.

Coalition in a sentence

• The two smaller parties formed a coalition to secure a majority in parliament.

• A broad coalition of charities campaigned for changes to the housing law.

Where does coalition come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin coalitus, the past participle of coalescere, which literally meant 'to grow together' or 'to unite by growing'. That verb was built from the prefix co-, meaning 'together', and alescere, an inceptive form of alere, meaning 'to nourish' or 'to make grow'; so the original image was of separate things knitting into one living whole. English took it up in the mid-1600s, and at first it could describe parts of the body or wounds growing together, a quite physical sense. From there it shifted to its now-dominant political meaning: separate parties or groups joining forces for a shared aim. The same alere root that nourishes 'coalition' also feeds the words 'aliment' and 'alimony', and noticing that the spelling carries a single l (one growing together, not 'coal') is a useful guard against error.

How the word is built

• co- (together)
• alit- (from Latin coalescere: to grow together, from alere: to nourish)
• -ion (noun suffix)