Casualisation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The phenomenon of transitioning towards an informal style that emphasizes ease and adaptability in various settings
2. The process by which formal or permanent structures, arrangements, or relationships become informal or temporary
3. A transformation involving the shift from strict or fixed conditions to more flexible or short-term ones

Etymology: "Casualisation" is a plain formation: the adjective "casual" with the suffix "-isation", which turns verbs ending in "-ise" into nouns for the process of making something a certain way. The suffix itself has a long pedigree, passing from Greek "-izein" through Late Latin "-izare" and Middle French "-iser" before reaching English as "-ise", and the "-ation" ending came through Old French from Latin "-ātiō". So the word packs two inherited layers onto one English adjective. The adjective "casual" came into English from Old French "casuel", ultimately from Latin "cāsus", meaning "chance" or "fall", which is why "casual" originally described something happening by chance before it came to mean relaxed or informal. The noun built on it describes the process of that informality spreading, most often in discussions of workforces, where jobs once held as full-time posts are turned into flexible, irregular arrangements.