Importation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of bringing goods or products into a country from abroad, or the goods themselves that have been brought in this manner
2. The transfer of goods from one country to another, including the items brought in for trade or use, highlights the interaction between nations in commerce
3. The process of bringing products into a nation from elsewhere ; items that have been brought into a country from another place

Etymology: The word "importation" is a plain formation: the verb "import" with the suffix "-ation", which turns a verb into a noun for an action or process. The suffix itself arrived in English by a long route. It descends from Latin "-ātiō", which was built from the verb-forming stem "-āt-" plus "-iō", and it reached English through Old French "-ation", which was taken up in Middle English as "-aciou(n)" before settling into the modern form. "Import" came into English earlier, from Latin "importāre", meaning to bring in or carry into. Its original sense was broad, covering anything brought into a place, and the commercial meaning of goods arriving from overseas developed later. Once "import" was established as a verb and noun, the suffix allowed English speakers to name the act itself as a separate thing, which is how "importation" came to cover both the process of bringing goods across a border and the goods that result.

Synonyms: bringing in, introduction

Antonyms: exportation, removal