participation

noun

par-ti-si-PAY-shuhn/pɑɹˌtɪsɪˈpeɪʃən/UKpah-ti-si-PAY-shuhn/pɑːˌtɪsɪˈpeɪʃən/

Pluralparticipations (some meanings)

4 meanings of participation

1
noununcountable
The act of taking part in something, especially an activity shared with others.
Like adding your voice to a choir rather than listening from the audience.
Active participation in the workshop is expected of every attendee.
Voter participation rose sharply during the last election.
Similarinvolvement, engagement, turnout
Oppositeabstention
Note
It reads as participate plus -ion, but the word arrived ready-made. It comes from Middle English participacioun, through Old French participacion, from Late Latin participatio. It works both as a mass noun for taking part in general and as a count noun for a single instance of it. The same Latin word lies behind every later use, including a share in profits.
2
noununcountable
A process in which individuals, groups, and organizations are consulted about or given the chance to take an active role in a project or program.
Public participation in the zoning review brought many residents to the meeting.
The agency built participation into every stage of the program's design.
Similarinvolvement, consultation, engagement
Note
Here participation is something an organization arranges rather than something a person simply does. It is offered, designed and built into a project. That is the line between this use and the everyday act of taking part. The people involved are often a whole group whose voice shapes the outcome, such as residents or shareholders, as in a decision made on the participation of the shareholders.
3
noununcountable
The state of being connected to, or part of, a larger whole.
The mystics spoke of the soul's participation in the divine.
Ecologists stress each species' participation in the broader ecosystem.
4
nouncountable
An ownership interest in a venture, or a right to share in its profits.
The bank sold its participation in the syndicated loan to another lender.
Each partner's participation entitles them to a portion of the annual profits.
Similarstake, share, interest

Practice

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Origin

It comes from Middle English participacioun, borrowed via Middle and Old French participacion, from Late Latin participatiō. By surface analysis it can be read as participate plus the suffix -ion.