strategic
strategic
UK[strəˈtiːdʒɪk]US[strəˈtiːdʒɪk]
adj
Relating to the identification of long-term or overall aims and interests and the means of achieving them.
adj
Designed or planned to serve a particular purpose, especially in war or politics.
Morpheme Breakdown
strat
eg
ic
strat
army
eg
to lead
ic
adjective suffix
Etymology
The word 'strategic' has a distinctly military lineage, tracing back to ancient Greek command structures. It originates from the Greek strategos, meaning "a general" or "army leader", which itself is a compound of stratós ("army") and agein ("to lead"). This term entered Latin as strategus and later evolved into the modern English 'strategy', with 'strategic' forming as its adjectival derivative via the suffix -ic. The core logic of the word thus evolved from the literal concept of "leading an army" to the modern, more abstract sense of planning and decision-making aimed at achieving overarching objectives, whether in military, political, or business contexts.
Analysis
Structure: strat (army) + eg (to lead) + ic (adjective suffix)
- strat: From Greek stratós meaning "army, expedition, multitude". It functions as the core root denoting a large, organized body.
- eg: From Greek agein (to lead, drive, bring). In this compound, it appears in a variant form -eg- (as seen in strategos), indicating the action of leading or commanding.
- ic: A suffix of Greek origin (-ikos) via Latin (-icus), used to form adjectives meaning "of, pertaining to, or characteristic of".
Examples
The company made a strategic decision to invest in renewable energy.
The general discussed the strategic importance of the naval base.
Moving the factory was a strategic move to reduce costs and be closer to suppliers.