realisation
noun
Realisation — the British spelling of making something real or fully understood
Definition
Something that is made real or concrete; "the victory was the realization of a whole year's work"
In depth
Realisation is the British spelling variant of realization, naming something made real or concrete, as well as the cognitive moment of fully understanding something previously unclear. The meaning carries no difference from its American counterpart; only the orthographic convention shifts according to regional usage.
Origin
Like other '-ise/-ize' pairs in English, the spelling divergence reflects differing historical preferences between American and British orthographic convention, with British English often favoring the French-influenced '-ise' ending despite the equally valid Greek-derived '-ize' suffix.
Usage examples
"The realisation of the architect's original vision took nearly twenty years to complete."
"Her sudden realisation, arriving in the middle of an otherwise ordinary conversation, changed everything that followed."
"British academic writing has long favoured the spelling realisation over its American counterpart."
How to use it
Use realisation 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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