# corporation

Pronunciation: US say "kor-puh-RAY-shuhn" /ˌkɔɹpəˈɹeɪʃən/; UK say "kaw-puh-RAY-shuhn" /ˌkɔːpəˈɹeɪʃən/

## Noun

1. A legally created body that exists independently of its members, with powers and liabilities separate from theirs.
   - Simple: A business or group that the law treats as a single legal person, separate from its owners.
   - _A corporation continues to exist even after all its original shareholders have sold their shares._
   - _Creditors of the corporation cannot pursue the personal assets of its individual members._
2. The body that governs a borough or city as a unit of local government.
   - Simple: The group of people who officially govern a town or city.
   - _The corporation approved funding for new public housing across the city._
   - _Members of the corporation met to debate the borough's annual budget._

## Noun

3. A noticeably protruding belly, especially a large or well-fed paunch. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A big, round belly that sticks out.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In Fascist Italy, a joint association of employers' and workers' representatives within a single industry.

## Origin

From Middle English corporacion, from Late Latin corporatio ("assumption of a body"), ultimately from Latin corporare ("to form into a body"). The sense of a protruding belly is perhaps a play on the word corpulence.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/corporation (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).