civilization

UK/ˌsɪv.ɪ.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/US/ˌsɪv.ə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/

nounB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #2,747 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: civilizations

A civilization is a society with developed cities, arts and government. Ancient civilization, the rise of a civilization, western civilization.

The word carries a judgement that archaeologists are wary of, since calling one society a civilization implies others were not. Britain spells it civilisation and both forms are correct there.

Definitions of civilization

1nouncivilizationA society with developed cities, arts and government.B2
“The ancient Egyptians built one of the world's first great civilizations along the Nile.”

civilization is a society.

Also accepted in games: civilisation

Where it comes from

French civilisation comes from civil, from Latin civis, a citizen.

French
civilisation
English, today
civilization

Borrowed from French civilisation. French civilisation, equivalent to civilize + -ation or civil + -ization.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

civilization in the wild

Aegean civilization is a general term for the Bronze Age civilizations of Greece around the Aegean Sea.
Aegean civilization
Crete is associated with the Minoan civilization from the Early Bronze Age.
Aegean civilization
The word civilization relates to the Latin civitas or 'city'.
Civilization
The territorial extent of Etruscan civilization reached its maximum around 500 BC, shortly after the Roman Kingdom became the Roman Republic.
Etruscan civilization
Like nearby Elam, it is one of the cradles of civilization, along with Egypt, the Indus Valley, the Erligang culture of the Yellow River valley, Caral-Supe, and Mesoamerica.
Sumer

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

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