Etymologically
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civilization

Etymology and origin of the English word civilization

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1704
Ultimate origin
English (civilize)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˌsɪv.əl.aɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/, US /ˌsɪv.əl.əˈzeɪ.ʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from civilize and -ation,[2][3] its main sense probably taken from French civilisation.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In law, an act or judgement that turns a criminal process into a civil one: 1704, a sense now obsolete.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The civilized condition of a people, an advanced state of society opposed to barbarity, is recorded by 1772,[2][4][5] and the process of civilizing from 1775.[4] Etymonline quotes Fitzedward Hall (1873), who praised the word for relieving civility of one of its meanings.[2] A particular civilized society considered as a whole over time is from 1857.[2]

Timeline

  • 1704 – a legal process.[2][4]
  • 1772 – a civilized condition.[2][4]
  • 1775 – the process of civilizing.[4]
  • 1857 – a particular society.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An advanced state of human society, with developed culture, science, writing and political organization.
  2. A particular society or culture at a particular time: ancient Egyptian civilization.
  3. The peoples or nations that have reached such a state, taken together.
  4. The process of civilizing or being civilized.

Word family

  • civilizational
  • hypercivilization
  • intercivilization
  • overcivilization
  • postcivilization
  • subcivilization
  • decivilization
  • precivilization

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Civilization.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/civilization. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·