conciliation
/kənˌsɪlɪˈeɪʃən/
noun
Origin
Latin
conciliare — to bring together, unite, reconcile
Overview
Meaning Now
- The action of stopping someone from being angry; placation.
- The action of mediating between two disputing people or groups to bring about a settlement.
Literal older meaning
the process of coming together in council
Language path
Latin → Middle French → English
Earliest form
conciliacioun
Earliest period
late 14th century
Journey
The term originates from the Latin verb 'conciliare', which derives from 'concilium' (council). It historically carried a sense of gathering people to form an agreement or a bond, later narrowing to the mediation of conflicts during the post-Renaissance period.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
conciliatio
“act of uniting or reconciling”
- Middle French
conciliation
“act of reconciling”
- Middle English
conciliacioun
“act of bringing into harmony”
Introduced via religious or academic registers.
- Early Modern English
conciliation
“settlement of a dispute”
Connections
Word parts
con-
prefix
together
concili-
root
to call together, unite
-ation
suffix
forms a noun of action
Related across languages
French
reconciliation/conciliation
Spanish
conciliación
conciliation
Related words
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.