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Added 10 October 2026

privatization

/ˌpɹaɪvɪtaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/ noun

Latin root: prīvātus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about privatization at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The transfer of a company or organization from government to private ownership and control.
The rendering of a thought or an idea, as private in scope.

Origin

Calque of German Privatisierung (with English -ation), derived from Latin prīvātus (“apart from the state; private”), with reference to post-First World War German economic principles. Popularized by Sidney Merlin in 1943, who was aware of the term reprivatization (used in similar contexts), already attested at the time.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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