Modernization

How to spell modernization

13 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce modernization

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does modernization mean?

1. nounThe process of updating something so that it meets current standards, methods, or technology.

Modernization in a sentence

• The factory's modernization replaced every manual line with automated machinery.

• The council approved a budget for the modernization of the city's water system.

Where does modernization come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word builds on 'modern', which English took in the 1500s from the Late Latin modernus, meaning 'of the present time'. That adjective was formed from the Latin adverb modo, which literally meant 'just now' or 'recently', so the underlying idea is the contrast between the up-to-date and the old. To 'modernize' (to bring something into line with current standards) appeared in English in the 1700s, and the abstract noun 'modernization' followed by adding the action suffix -ation. The spelling here uses the -ize/-ization form, ultimately reflecting the Greek-derived verb ending -izein that Latin and French passed into English. The chief spelling trap is the long unstressed middle, where the 'der' and the 'ni' blur in speech, so writers must remember the full sequence mod-ern-iz-ation rather than trusting the ear.

How the word is built

• modern (of the present time, from Latin modo: just now)
• -ize (verb-forming suffix: to make)
• -ation (noun of action)