Etymologically
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utilization

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 10:19. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌjuːt(ə)laɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/, /ˌjuːtɪlaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/[1]
  • US: /ˌjuːt̬(ə)ləˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/[1]

Etymology

The OED and Merriam-Webster take it as borrowed from French utilisation, recorded in French from 1812,[2][3] from utiliser (“to utilize”) and the suffix -ation.[3][2] Barnhart and Etymonline instead treat it as an English noun of action from utilize, perhaps influenced by the French word.[4][5] The French verb is from Italian utilizzare,[2][6][4] from utile (“useful”), from Latin ūtilis (“useful, usable”), from ūtor (“to use”).[6][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The action of utilizing, or the fact of being utilized: 1847, in Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language.[2][5][4]

Semantic evolution

The word followed the verb utilize, recorded from 1807 (Etymonline gives 1794).[2][4][5] Merriam-Webster's citations show its use for the putting to use of material, of a substance in the body, such as glucose in the liver, and of financial rights.[3] British English also spells it utilisation.[3][5]

Timeline

  • 1807 – the verb utilize is recorded.[2][4]
  • 1812 – French utilisation.[2]
  • 1847 – utilization, in Webster's dictionary.[2][5][4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The action of making practical use of something, or the state of being so used: the utilization of waste heat.[3][2][7]

Word family

  • misutilization
  • overutilization
  • reutilization
  • utilization review

Usage notes

The American Heritage Dictionary notes that many critics regard utilize as an unnecessary substitute for use, and that in many sentences use would serve with no loss but pretentiousness.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  5. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin