Privatisation

How to spell privatisation

13 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce privatisation

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does privatisation mean?

1. nounThe transfer of a business, industry, or service from government ownership into private hands.

Privatisation in a sentence

• The privatisation of the railways was debated in parliament for years.

• Critics argued that privatisation would raise prices for ordinary customers.

Where does privatisation come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin privatus, meaning 'set apart' or 'belonging to oneself', which itself came from privare, 'to deprive or release from public duty'. The same root gave English the everyday adjective 'private', describing something kept to an individual rather than shared with the public. The verb 'privatise' was coined to mean transferring something from state ownership into private hands, and the noun 'privatisation' adds the suffix -ation to name that process. It is a fairly modern formation that rose to prominence in economic and political writing during the twentieth century, especially in the 1980s when many publicly owned industries were sold off. The British spelling keeps the -is- of 'privatise', which is the spot writers most often second-guess against the American -iz- form.

How the word is built

• privat- (from Latin privatus: set apart, belonging to oneself)
• -ise (verb-forming)
• -ation (noun-forming, action or process)

British and American spelling

Privatisation is the British spelling. American English spells it privatization.