establishment
Pluralestablishments
- 1Something that has been set up to last, such as a form of government, a permanent organization or business, or a fixed place of residence.
The hotel is one of the oldest establishments in the city.
She runs a respected establishment near the harbor.
Similarbusiness, institution, enterprise, firm, concern
- 2The founding or setting up of something, or its formal confirmation, ratification, or ordaining.
The establishment of the colony required careful planning and steady support.
Historians date the establishment of the republic to that turbulent year.
Similarfounding, foundation, creation, formation, institution
Oppositeabolition, dissolution
Note
Here the word is still close to its verb. It came through Old French establissement from establir, and Middle English also spelled it stablishment. Because it names an act, it usually takes an of-phrase for what is set up, as in the establishment of a colony. A possessive can name who does the setting up: their establishment of the company. The United States Constitution of 1787 uses it for bringing a constitution into force.
- 3The ruling class or group that holds power in a society, especially an entrenched authority determined to preserve the existing order.
The movement defined itself against the establishment and its tired conventions.
Critics argued that the establishment would never permit real reform.
Similarsystem, elite, authorities
Note
Power is treated here as a single body. This meaning almost always takes the, and a national adjective often narrows it: the British establishment, the French establishment. The Guardian Weekly in 2024 described Thailand's as a small but powerful clique of military, royalist and business elites. The verbs around it tend to be oppositional, so people question the establishment or run afoul of it. Without the article, an establishment is usually a business or institution instead.
- 4The condition of being firmly founded and settled; a fixed, lasting state.
After a century of establishment, the bank seemed as fixed as the hills around it.
The faith's deep establishment in the region made it part of daily life.
Similarentrenchment, permanence, stability
- 5The staffing level judged necessary for running a department or organization, a measure used especially in health care and other public services.
The trust reported that several wards were operating below their agreed establishment.
Managers reviewed the establishment to decide how many posts they could fund.
Similarcomplement, headcount, staffing
Note
A staffing term from public services, with health care the most common setting. It means a headcount, so it is counted: a department has an establishment of 10 doctors and 30 nurses. Actual staff are measured against that figure. That is why a ward can run below establishment, meaning it is understaffed by its own agreed standard rather than by anyone's opinion.
- 6The official standing of a church as a nation's state church, or the act of giving it that standing, as with the Church of England and formerly the Church of Ireland.
Debates over the church's establishment in England continue in Parliament.
Critics argued that the establishment gave the church unfair political privileges.
Note
This is the language of church and state, used mostly of the Church of England and, in the past, of Ireland's church as well. In this meaning the word often stands alone without an article, as when people say Anglicans support or oppose establishment. Dropping the article keeps it distinct from the ruling elite, which nearly always takes the. Here the word names a church's legal standing, not a group of people.
Practice
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Origin
From Middle English establishment, from Old French establissement (Modern French établissement), from the verb establir. It is equivalent to 'establish' plus the suffix '-ment'.