Etymologically
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activation

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 21:07. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌæktɪˈveɪʃn̩/[1]
  • US: /ˌæktəˈveɪʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English activate + -ion (see -ation); compare French activation (1835).[2][3] The verb comes from active and the suffix -ate (1620s),[4] and the adjective from Latin āctīvus, from āctus (“a doing”), from agō (“to drive, do”).[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The process of making something active; in chemistry, of making a substance more reactive: 1883, in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.[2] Etymonline dates the noun to 1906,[4] while Merriam-Webster gives 1848.[6]

Semantic evolution

The military sense, calling a unit or reservist into active service, is originally American and dates from 1939.[2] In activation analysis a sample is made radioactive, usually by irradiation with neutrons, so that its elements can be measured.[3]

Timeline

  • 1848 – first known use according to Merriam-Webster.[6]
  • 1883 – the process of activating, in chemistry.[2]
  • 1906 – Etymonline's date.[4]
  • 1939 – calling into active service (US).[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act or process of making something active or operative: the activation of the smoke alarm.
  2. (chemistry, biochemistry) The process of making a substance more reactive.
  3. (physics) The process of making a stable element radioactive by bombarding it with neutrons or protons.
  4. (military) The calling of a unit or reservist into active service.
  5. (marketing) The promotion of a brand through an event or campaign.

Word family

  • nonactivation
  • photoactivation
  • activation analysis
  • activation energy
  • neutron activation analysis

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster