Incentivization

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of encouraging particular actions by offering rewards or benefits to individuals involved in a given context
2. The method of enhancing motivation through the provision of incentives or rewards to prompt desired behavioral changes
3. The act of supplying rewards or benefits to stimulate particular behaviors or actions

Etymology: "Incentivization" is a plain formation: it is the noun made from "incentivize," with the suffix "-ation" added on. The suffix "-ation" comes from Latin "-atio" via Old French, and it turns a verb into a noun for the act or process of doing that verb. So "incentivization" names the act of incentivizing, the process of making something worth doing through the offer of a reward. The verb underneath it, "incentivize," is the newer piece. It is built on "incentive," a word that began in English as something that spurs one on to action, and the "-ize" ending turns that noun into a verb meaning to provide an incentive for. Stacking "-ize" and then "-ation" onto an older noun gives a chain of three familiar parts, each one clear on its own.

Synonyms: motivation, encouragement