establishment
UK[ɪˈstæblɪʃmənt]US[ɪˈstæblɪʃmənt]
n
The action of establishing something or being established
n
A business organization, public institution, or household
n
A group in a society exercising power and influence over matters of policy, taste, etc., and seen as resisting change
Morpheme Breakdown
establish
ment
establish
to set up
ment
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'establishment' is built upon the verb 'establish', which entered English via Old French from the Latin verb stabilire, meaning "to make firm or stable." This Latin verb is derived from stabilis (stable, firm), itself from the Proto-Indo-European root steh₂- ("to stand"). The suffix -ment, also of Latin origin via Old French, is used to form nouns indicating an action, process, or resulting state. Thus, the literal morphemic construction means "the action or result of making stable." Over time, this evolved from the concrete act of founding or setting up an institution to also denote the institution itself, and later, by the mid-20th century, acquired its specific sociological meaning referring to the entrenched authority structure in society.
Analysis
Structure: establish (to set up) + ment (noun suffix)
establish (from Old French establiss-, stem of establir, ultimately from Latin stabilire, meaning "to make stable"); ment (from Old French -ment, from Latin -mentum, a suffix forming nouns denoting an action or resulting state)
Examples
The establishment of the new university took several years.
She runs a small catering establishment in the city center.
His radical ideas were strongly opposed by the political establishment.