consolidation

[kuhn-sol-i-dey-shuhn]

noun

1. an act or instance of combining or consolidating into a single or unified whole; the state of being consolidated; unification.

   Our CEO proposed the consolidation of several departments and the elimination of 10 positions.

2. solidification; strengthening.

   consolidation of principles and beliefs.

3. something resulting from a unification of two or more elements; a consolidated whole.

4. Law.,  the union of two or more claims or actions at law for trial or appeal.

5. Finance.,  debt consolidation.

6. Business, Finance.

   1. the combining of several financial accounts into a single one, as when the financial results from two or more businesses are combined into a single statement.

   2. a statutory combination of two or more corporations.

7. Pathology.,  the process of becoming solid, as the changing of lung tissue from aerated and elastic to firm in certain diseases.

8. Geology.,  lithification.

9. Physiology.,  the process by which the brain forms stable, long-lasting memories.

10. Railroads: Now Rare.,  Consolidation, a steam locomotive having a two-wheeled front truck, eight driving wheels, and no rear truck.

consolidation

/ kənˌsɒlɪˈdeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of consolidating or state of being consolidated

2. something that is consolidated or integrated

3. law

   1. the combining of two or more actions at law

   2. the combination of a number of Acts of Parliament into one codifying statute

4. geology the process, including compression and cementation, by which a loose deposit is transformed into a hard rock

5. psychol the process in the brain that makes the memory for an event enduring; the process is thought to continue for some time after the event

Other Word Forms

• consolidative adjective
• nonconsolidation noun
• preconsolidation noun
• proconsolidation adjective
• reconsolidation noun
• unconsolidation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of consolidation¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English consolidacioun “healing by closing up, knitting of bones,” from Late Latin consolidātiōn- (stem of consolidātiō ) “merging of usufruct in property, establishing of ownership, consolidation”; consolidate -ion

Example Sentences

COG’s latest acquisition looks strategically low risk to Nicholson, who expects the Australian company to continue benefiting from industry consolidation.

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But he did touch briefly on consolidation in Hollywood, saying, “Ironically, it was David Zaslav last year who said that consolidation in the media business is important.”

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The PTC also spoke out against media consolidation, which accelerated in the 1990s, “the problem of having too few voices hold the microphone,” Winter said.

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Yet if the business community was so readily nudged into support of what Ms. Legacki acknowledges to be a dangerous consolidation of power, how can it ever be considered trustworthy participants in a democracy?

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He said regulators have signaled they believe consolidation is “healthy for the industry,” such as through faster approvals of bank tie-ups.

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Related Words

• merger 
• strengthening www.thesaurus.com
• unification