Centralise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To concentrate power, authority, or resources within a single location or governing entity
2. To unify disparate elements under one management or control system to enhance coordination
3. To consolidate decision-making or authority in one main organization or place

Etymology: "Centralise" is a plain English formation: the adjective "central," with the verb-forming suffix "-ise" added to it. "Central" itself came into English by way of Latin "centralis," from "centrum," a borrowing of the Greek "kentron," meaning a sharp point, a goad, or the fixed point of a compass. That sense of a single pivot gives the verb its core idea: to pull scattered parts toward one fixed point, or under one controlling authority. The suffix "-ise" has a longer journey than the word it attaches to. It traces back through Ancient Greek verbs ending in "-izein," which passed into Late Latin as "-izare," then into Old French as "-iser," and reached Middle English as "-isen." English speakers then applied it freely to adjectives and nouns, which is why it turns "central" into a verb meaning to make something central, and "modern" into "modernise."

Synonyms: consolidate, unify, focus, concentrate

Antonyms: decentralize