Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Civilisation has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
the social process whereby societies achieve an advanced stage of development and organization
"Archaeologists study ancient pottery to understand how that society progressed through civilisation, moving from nomadic tribes to organized city-states."
a particular society at a particular time and place
"early Mayan civilization"
a society in an advanced state of social development (e.g., with complex legal and political and religious organizations)
"the people slowly progressed from barbarism to civilization"
the quality of excellence in thought and manners and taste
"a man of intellectual refinement"
"he is remembered for his generosity and civilization"
Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa spelling of civilization
"The British spelling of the word is civilisation, so I corrected my essay to match that convention."
This word was borrowed from French and combines the root meaning of "civil" with a suffix indicating an action or process. It originally referred to the state of being civilized or the quality of civilization.