Communication

How to spell communication

13 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce communication

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does communication mean?

1. nounThe act or process of exchanging information, ideas, or messages between people.

Communication in a sentence

• Clear communication between the two departments prevented a costly mistake.

• Poor communication from management left the staff confused about the new policy.

Where does communication come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb communicare, meaning 'to share, to make common, or to impart', which was built on the adjective communis, meaning 'common' or 'shared by all'. At the heart of communis lies the root munus, which meant a 'duty, gift, or public service', so the original idea was of people sharing or giving something to one another rather than merely talking. The noun form communicatio described the act of sharing or imparting, and English took it in through Old French during the late 1300s, initially in the sense of sharing or partaking. Over the following centuries the meaning narrowed toward the exchange of information, messages, and ideas that we use today. The same communis root also gives us 'community', 'common', and 'communion', which is a helpful reminder that the double 'm' and the single 'n' belong to that shared family. The spelling trap is the unstressed middle, since the -muni- syllable is easy to mishear and the -cation ending sounds like 'kay-shun' but is spelled with a c.

How the word is built

• com- (together, with)
• mun (from munus: duty, service, shared)
• -ic
• -ation (noun of action)