coordination

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kəʊˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃən/ (UK); /koʊˌoɹdɪˈneɪʃən/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French coordination or directly Late Latin coōrdinātiō,^[2][3][4] from co- (“with, together”) and ōrdinātiō (“arranging”),^[3][5] from ōrdō (“row, rank, order”) (see order).^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Orderly combination: about 1600 in Etymonline;^[2] the New Oxford gives the mid-17th century, in the sense of placing in the same rank.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The action of setting things in order is from the 1640s.^[2] Harmonious adjustment or action, especially of the muscles and bodily movements, is from 1855.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1600 – orderly combination.^[2]
• 1640s – setting in order.^[2]
• 1855 – harmonious action of muscles.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The act of coordinating or organizing parts to work together.
2. Harmonious working of the muscles in making movements.

Word family

• coordination compound
• coordination number
• coordination complex

Related words

• coordinated
• uncoordinated
• coordinator
• coordinating conjunction
• coordinate
• order
• ordinate
• ordain

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins