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synchronization

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Etymology and origin of the English word synchronization

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1811
Ultimate origin
English synchronize

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌsɪŋkrənaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/, /ˌsɪnkrənaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/[1]
  • US: /ˌsɪŋkrənəˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/[1]

Etymology

It is a noun of action from English synchronize,[2] that is, from English synchronize + -ation.[3][4] Synchronize (about 1624)[3] is from a Latinized form of Ancient Greek συγχρονίζω (sunkhronízō, “to be of the same time”),[2][1][2] the OED derives the English verb from synchronism.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The action of making things happen at the same time, especially of clocks: Etymonline dates it to 1811,[2] while the OED and Merriam-Webster have it first in 1828, in G. S. Faber's Sacred Calendar of Prophecy.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

Like the verb, which was first used of events occurring at the same time and of historians assigning events to the same date (1806),[3][2] the noun moved into technology: the OED notes its special use in electrical engineering and other technical fields,[3] as the verb came to mean setting timepieces to agree (1879) and making machines operate together (1910).[3][2]

Timeline

  • 1811 – making synchronous, especially of clocks.[2] The OED and Merriam-Webster date it to 1828.[3][4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act or result of synchronizing: making events, motions or devices happen at the same time or rate.[4][3]
  2. The state of happening together in time; simultaneity.[4][1]
  3. In electrical engineering and other technical fields, the matching of the timing or frequency of machines or signals.[3]

Word family

  • desynchronization
  • synchronize
  • synchronous
  • synchronism
  • synchronicity
  • chronology

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Synchronization.” Etymologically, 2 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/synchronization. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·