secularization
UK[ˌsɛkjʊləraɪˈzeɪʃən]US[ˌsɛkjələrəˈzeɪʃən]
n
the process through which religious institutions, practices, and ideas lose their social significance.
n
the action or process of transferring something from ecclesiastical to civil ownership or use.
Morpheme Breakdown
secular
ization
secular
worldly
ization
process of making
Etymology
the term 'secularization' is built upon the latin root saeculum, which originally denoted a span of time, such as an age or generation. in late latin christian usage, saecularis came to signify the temporal, worldly realm in contrast to the eternal, spiritual domain of the church. the suffix '-ization', derived from latin via french, systematically forms nouns denoting the process of causing something to become a certain state. thus, 'secularization' literally narrates the process of making something worldly, tracing a conceptual journey from a neutral temporal measure to a specific historical process of separating societal functions from religious authority.
Analysis
Structure: secular (worldly) + ization (process of making)
secular (from latin saecularis, meaning 'relating to an age or generation, worldly', from saeculum 'generation, age'); ization (a noun-forming suffix of latin origin via french, indicating a process or action of making something).
Examples
the secularization of education was a major point of contention in the 19th century.
sociologists often study the effects of secularization on modern family structures.
the gradual secularization of state functions reduced the direct political power of the church.