English
rationalization
Rationalization comes from French rationaliser ‘to rationalize’, and goes back to Latin reor ‘to compute’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreor1‘to compute’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEratiō2‘reason, reasoning, explanation, ground, motive, rationality, rationale, purpose’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEratiōnālis3‘rational, reasonable, of or possessing reason’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentrationnel4‘rational’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentrationaliser5‘to rationalize’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentrationalisation6
- Englishearliest quotation 1915rationalization6
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin ratio
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin rationalis
- 3 Wiktionary, French rationnel
- 4 Wiktionary, French rationaliser
- 5 Wiktionary, French rationalisation
- 6 Wiktionary, English rationalization
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1915, John Spargo: “For socialism involves the reconstruction of industry upon the…”.
Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreorWiktionary, Latin ratio‘to compute’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEratiōWiktionary, Latin rationalis‘reason, reasoning, explanation, ground, motive, rationality, rationale, purpose’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEratiōnālisWiktionary, French rationnel‘rational, reasonable, of or possessing reason’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentrationnelWiktionary, French rationaliser‘rational’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentrationaliserWiktionary, French rationalisation‘to rationalize’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentrationalisationWiktionary, English rationalization
- Englishearliest quotation 1915rationalizationWiktionary, English rationalization. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1915, John Spargo: “For socialism involves the reconstruction of industry upon the…”
Formed from rational + -ization
Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- ‘to fit, to fix, to put together, to slot’
Latin reor ‘to compute’
Latin ratio ‘reason’
Latin rationalis ‘of or belonging to reason, rational, reasonable’
Old French rationel
English rational
first attested First attested in 1831 (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)
The story
First attested in 1831.
Linked words
through Latin reor ‘to compute’
rate, reasonable, irritate, ratify, 13 more
through Latin ratiō ‘reason, reasoning, explanation, ground,…’
through French rationalisation
Today it means
noun The process or result of rationalizing, or expressing in rational terms.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “rationalization”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin ratio, Latin rationalis, French rationnel, French rationaliser, French rationalisation. 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 / Latin reor / rationalization