# privatization

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌpɹaɪvɪtaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/ · frequency rank #20,466

## Definitions
1. The transfer of a company or organization from government to private ownership and control.
2. The rendering of a thought or an idea, as private in scope.

## Etymology
Calque of German Privatisierung (with English -ation), derived from Latin prīvātus (“apart from the state; private”), with reference to post-First World War German economic principles. Popularized by Sidney Merlin in 1943, who was aware of the term reprivatization (used in similar contexts), already attested at the time.

## Easily confused with
- **privatisation** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/privatisation-vs-privatization)

## Common misspellings (20)
`pirvatization`, `pprivatization`, `priavtization`, `privaitzation`, `privatiaztion`, `privatizaiton`, `privatizasion`, `privatizatino`, `privatizationn`, `privatizatoin`, `privatizattion`, `privatiztaion`, `privatizzation`, `privattization`, `privatziation`, `privtaization`, `privvatization`, `prrivatization`, `prviatization`, `rpivatization`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/privatization