System
nounA set of connected parts or procedures that work together as an organized whole.
How to spell system
6 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce system
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does system mean?
- nounA set of connected parts or procedures that work together as an organized whole.
System in a sentence
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The new accounting system flagged the duplicate invoice automatically.
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A reliable backup system protects the company from data loss.
Where does system come from?
Language of origin: Greek
The word comes from the Greek systema, meaning 'an organized whole' or 'a thing put together'. That noun was built from the prefix syn-, meaning 'together', and a root tied to histanai, the verb 'to set up' or 'to cause to stand', so the literal sense is something whose parts are made to stand together. The Greek word travelled through Late Latin systema and into French as systeme before reaching English in the early 1600s, originally describing organized bodies of doctrine in music, astronomy, and philosophy. From there it broadened to cover any orderly arrangement of connected parts, from the solar system to a filing system. The single 's' in the middle is the trap for many writers: there is no double letter, and the unstressed second syllable can tempt a stray vowel, but the spelling stays neatly 'sys-tem'.
How the word is built
- sy- (from syn-: together)
- -stem (from histanai: to set, place) = a set of things placed together
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