Dictionary

decolonization en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /diːˌkɒl.ə.naɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/ (UK)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē-der. English de- Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *kʷélh₁eti Proto-Italic *kʷelō Latin colō Latin colōnus Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin colōniader. Middle English colane English colony Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English colonize Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English colonization English decolonization From de- + colonization.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The freeing of a colony etc from dependent status by granting it independence.
2. (countable, uncountable) The reverse of colonization, i.e. granting back autonomy to a group.
   • In full decolonization mode, Greenlanders also have abandoned the Danish names that once gave some of us a precarious toehold on their island's geography. Nuuk, for example, appeared on children's geography board games until recently as Godthab. 2001 May 20, James Brooke, “Where Icebergs Are Born”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 11 Jun 2017:
   • But what does decolonisation have to do with place names? Place names are the meeting points of history and geography that shape part of our identities. 2019, Nalini Mohabir, “Renaming the Cook Islands would be a vital step towards true independence”, in Guardian.:
3. (countable, uncountable) The elimination of a colony of pathogens from the body of a patient, especially antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

Forms

Relateds

decolonize

Synonyms

decolonialization (reverse of colonization)

Translations (37)

vi phi thực dân hoá (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · it decolonizzazione (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · tr dekolonizasyon (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · cmn 去殖民化 (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · co deculunizazione (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · ja 脱植民地化 (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · gl descolonización (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · he דה־קולוניזציה (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · ms penyahjajahan (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · fr décolonisation (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · oc descolonizacion (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · de Entkolonialisierung (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · fi siirtomaavallan purkautuminen (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · de Dekolonisation (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · el αποαποικιοποίηση (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · es descolonización (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · ru деколониза́ция (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · nl dekolonisatie (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · scn diculunizzazzioni (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · ka დეკოლონიზაცია (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · sc decolonizatzione (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · hu dekolonizáció (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · ko 탈식민지화 (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · is afnýlenduvæðing (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · ro decolonizare (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · ca descolonització (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · co diculunizazione (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · af dekolonisering (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · pl dekolonizacja (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · ar إنهاء الاستعمار (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · fi dekolonisaatio (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · pt descolonização (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · co deculonizazione (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · uk деколоніза́ція (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · fi siirtomaan itsenäistyminen (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · co diculonizazione (freeing of a colony from dependent status) · scn diculonizzazzioni (freeing of a colony from dependent status)