denationalization
UK[ˌdiːˌnæʃnəlaɪˈzeɪʃn]US[ˌdiːˌnæʃnələˈzeɪʃn]
n
the process of removing something from government or state ownership and control.
n
the act of depriving something of its national character or status.
Morpheme Breakdown
de
nation
alization
de
remove
nation
country
alization
process of making
Etymology
the word is a modern english formation built upon the core latin-derived noun 'nation'. the prefix 'de-', from latin, signifies reversal or removal, establishing the core action of the word. the complex suffix '-alization' is a layered english construction that converts the noun into a verb ('-ize') and then into a noun of process ('-ation'), with '-al' linking it adjectivally to the root. thus, the literal morphemic logic of "removing from the condition of being made national" evolved from the 20th century to describe the abstract political and economic processes of transferring state assets to private ownership or reducing nationalistic character.
Analysis
Structure: de (remove) + nation (country) + alization (process of making)
de- (latin origin, a prefix meaning 'down from, off, away, removal'); nation (latin origin, from 'natio' meaning 'birth, race, people'); -alization (english suffix combining -al (pertaining to), -ize (to make), and -ation (process or state)).
Examples
the government's denationalization of the steel industry was a major economic reform.
some critics argue that denationalization leads to a loss of public control over essential services.
the treaty aimed at the denationalization of the disputed border region.