Etymograph

English

organization

Organization comes from Middle French organisation, and goes back to Medieval Latin organizātiō.

  1. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500organizātiō1
  2. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600organisation1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1978organization1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English organization
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1978, 1976, Leszek Kołakowski: “Compulsion is universal, and any organization that is not…”.

Lineage

  1. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500organizātiōWiktionary, English organization
  2. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600organisationWiktionary, English organization
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1978organizationWiktionary, English organization. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1978, 1976, Leszek Kołakowski: “Compulsion is universal, and any organization that is not…”

Linked words

through Middle French organisation

organisation

Today it means

noun The quality of being organized.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “organization”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Medieval Latin organizātiō / organization

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