Deregulation

How to spell deregulation

12 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce deregulation

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does deregulation mean?

1. nounThe removal or reduction of government rules and controls on an industry or activity.

Deregulation in a sentence

• The deregulation of the airline industry led to cheaper fares for travellers.

• Critics blamed banking deregulation for the financial crisis.

Where does deregulation come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built on the Latin regula, which literally meant a straight stick or measuring rod used to keep things in line, and from which we get the idea of a 'rule'. From regula came the verb regulare, 'to control by rule', which passed through French and gave English 'regulate' and then 'regulation' by the seventeenth century. The prefix de- comes from Latin and signals taking something away or reversing it, the same element seen in 'defrost' and 'decommission'. 'Deregulation' itself is a much more recent assembly, rising to prominence in twentieth-century economics and politics to name the lifting of government controls on industries such as airlines, banking, and energy. Because the word stacks a clear de- prefix onto the familiar 'regulation', the spelling is largely transparent; the only thing to remember is the single 'g' and the -ation ending shared by its parent word.

How the word is built

• de- (removal, reversal)
• regul- (from Latin regula: rule, straight rod)
• -ation (noun of action)