Canalisation

/ˌkænəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/ noun

Definition

The process of creating canals or converting something into a canal system, or the system of canals itself.

Etymology

From canal (from Latin 'canalis' meaning pipe or channel) plus -isation, a British suffix meaning the process of making or becoming something. Evolved from the practical need to describe the industrial conversion of waterways.

Kelly Says

During the Industrial Revolution, canalization literally transformed landscapes—Britain's canal networks became the highways of commerce before railways arrived, moving coal and goods more cheaply than roads. The word captures an entire era of engineering ambition.

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