Procurement

How to spell procurement

11 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce procurement

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does procurement mean?

1. nounThe process of sourcing, obtaining, and purchasing goods or services, especially for an organisation.

Procurement in a sentence

• The procurement team negotiated a better price with the supplier.

• Government procurement rules require at least three competing bids.

Where does procurement come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb procurare, which meant 'to take care of' or 'to manage on someone's behalf', formed from pro- 'for, on behalf of' and curare 'to care for', itself from cura 'care'. In Roman usage a procurator was an official who looked after another person's affairs or managed an estate, so the idea of acquiring and arranging things for someone else was present from the start. English took the verb 'procure' from Old French procurer in the 1300s, with the sense of obtaining or bringing about something, and the noun 'procurement' followed soon after to name the act of obtaining. Over the centuries the meaning narrowed in business and government to the formal process of sourcing and buying goods and services. The same cura 'care' root sits inside familiar relatives such as 'cure', 'curious', and 'curator', which can help anchor the cur in the middle of the spelling.

How the word is built

• pro- (on behalf of, for)
• cur (from curare: to care for, manage)
• -ment (noun suffix)