publication
UK[ˌpʌblɪˈkeɪʃn]US[ˌpʌblɪˈkeɪʃn]
n
the act of printing a book, magazine, etc. and making it available to the public
n
a book, magazine, etc. that has been published
Morpheme Breakdown
public
ation
public
open to all
ation
act or result
Etymology
The word 'publication' originates from the Latin verb publicare, meaning 'to make public' or 'to open to the general populace'. This verb itself derives from publicus, an adjective describing something belonging to or concerning the people. The suffix -ation was added to form a noun of action. Thus, the literal morphemic logic of 'publication' is the 'act of making something public', a meaning which evolved from the concrete Roman concept of state property to the modern abstract processes of printing and disseminating information to the general readership.
Analysis
Structure: public (open to all) + ation (act or result)
- public: From Latin publicus (of the people, open to all). Functions as the core semantic root.
- ation: A suffix from Latin -ationem, indicating an action or its result. Functions as a noun-forming suffix.
Examples
The publication of her first novel was a major event in the literary world.
He has an impressive list of academic publications in scientific journals.
The magazine ceased publication after fifty years due to declining sales.