Reorganization

How to spell reorganization

14 letters · 6 syllables

How to pronounce reorganization

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does reorganization mean?

1. nounThe act of arranging something into a new structure or order, especially a company, department, or system.

Reorganization in a sentence

• The company announced a major reorganization of its sales division.

• Staff were anxious during the long reorganization of the head office.

Where does reorganization come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This is a layered word built up step by step in English. At its heart lies the Greek organon, which literally meant a tool or instrument, and which also gave us the words 'organ' and 'organic'. Medieval Latin turned the related idea into organizare, meaning to furnish with organs or to arrange into a working whole, and from there French and then English produced the verb 'organize', meaning to put into orderly working condition. Adding the noun suffix -ation gave 'organization', the act or result of arranging, while the native prefix re-, meaning again, produced 'reorganize' and its noun 'reorganization' for arranging something afresh. The word in this -z- form became common in the 1800s, particularly in business and government writing. The spelling trap is the long unstressed middle, where the vowels in '-organiza-' all soften to a schwa and tempt writers to drop or swap letters.

How the word is built

• re- (again)
• organ (from Greek organon: tool, instrument)
• -ize (verb-forming)
• -ation (noun of action)

British and American spelling

Reorganization is the American spelling. British English spells it reorganisation.