fulfilment
noun
Fulfilment — the British spelling of bringing a hope or promise to completion
Definition
The act of consummating something (a desire or promise etc)
In depth
Fulfilment is the British spelling variant of fulfillment, naming the act of consummating a desire, promise, or potential, bringing it to complete realization. The meaning carries no difference from its American counterpart, only the spelling convention shifts according to regional usage.
Origin
The spelling difference follows the broader pattern across English in which doubled consonants before certain suffixes are simplified in British usage, here reducing 'fulfill' to a single 'l' before adding '-ment,' a divergence rooted in nineteenth-century spelling standardization that differed between American and British lexicographers.
Usage examples
"The fulfilment of the contract's terms was completed well ahead of the original deadline."
"British psychological literature often discusses fulfilment in the context of meaningful, sustained work."
"Her sense of fulfilment, late in life, came as much from quiet routine as from any single grand achievement."
How to use it
Use fulfilment for British, Irish, Australian, or other Commonwealth audiences and publications; the word is otherwise interchangeable in every respect with the American spelling.
Related concepts
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