Added 9 October 2026
corporation
/ˌkɔː.pəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/ noun
Latin root: corporatio Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about corporation at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A body corporate, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members.
- The municipal governing body of a borough or city.
- In Fascist Italy, a joint association of employers' and workers' representatives.
Origin
From Middle English corporacion, corporation, from Late Latin corporatio (“assumption of a body”), from Latin corporatus, past participle of corporare (“to form into a body”); see corporate. By surface analysis, corporate + -ion. (protruding belly): Perhaps a play on the word corpulence.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)