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synergy

Etymology and origin of the English word synergy

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈsɪnəɹd͡ʒi/; /ˈsɪnəd͡ʒi/ (UK)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from New Latin synergia,[2][3][4][5] from Ancient Greek συνεργία (sunergía, “joint work, cooperation”),[6][2][3] from sunergós “working together”,[6][2][3][4] from Ancient Greek σύν (sún, “together”) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Cooperation, in a general sense, now obsolete (1660);[7][2][4] Etymonline describes it as a specialized theological sense.[3]

Semantic evolution

In 1847 the word was taken up in physiology for the combined action of a group of organs, such as nerves or muscles,[7][2][3] a sense introduced in German by the pathologist Jacob Henle.[3] It was later applied to drugs and other agents whose combined effect is greater than the sum of their separate effects.[6][5][1] The sense of increased effectiveness from cooperation is recorded from 1957,[7] and in business it came to mean the advantage expected from combining companies or groups.[6][4][1]

Timeline

  • 1660 – cooperation (obsolete).[7][2][4]
  • 1847 – the combined action of bodily organs.[7][2][3]
  • 1957 – increased effectiveness from combined action.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The interaction of two or more agents or forces whose combined effect is greater than the sum of their separate effects; synergism.
  2. Cooperative interaction among groups, especially among the merged parts of a corporation, that produces an enhanced combined effect.
  3. The cooperative action of two or more muscles, nerves or drugs.
  • energy
  • monergism
  • synergetic
  • synergic
  • synergism
  • synergist
  • synergistic
  • organ
  • work

Usage notes

Wiktionary notes that in business contexts the word is often discouraged as a corporate buzzword.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Synergy.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/synergy. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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