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Glite Dictionary
✨ Disappearing act 💻 Becoming digital 📈 Electronic records
dematerialization

dematerialization

8.0
Changing paper certificates for stocks into electronic records
  • noun
  • /ˌdiːˌmætəˌriːəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : desmaterialización
  • Investors benefited from the dematerialization of their stock certificates as it simplified trading.

Examples

  • The organization has further encouraged the process by promoting "dematerialization," where certificates are converted to electronic format.

    Blog text (5)

  • Thanks to dematerialization, these bonds are now stored electronically, eliminating the need for physical copies.

  • Scott Burton, score for Four Changes, performed on April 28, 1969, at Hunter College, New York, rep. Lucy Lippard, Six Years: The Dematerialization of the Art Object from 1966 to 1972 (New York: Praeger, 1973), 96.

    Academic text (2012)

  • The dematerialization of paper documents has made accessing information faster and more efficient.

Synonyms

digitization
vsdematerialization
  • Specialized
6 4.6

To turn paper, photos, or sounds into computer files

focuses on converting physical financial records into electronic form rather than general data
digitalization
vsdematerialization
  • Specialized
1 4.6

Turning information and tasks into digital form so computers can use them

focuses on converting physical records and certificates into electronic form rather than changing systems

Surface Forms

dematerialization singular
dematerializations plural

Morphology

dematerialization = dematerialize (semi-transparent) = de + material + ize + ation

The noun is formed regularly from the verb dematerialize by adding -ation, so this derivation is straightforward.

Etymology

Dematerialization comes from de- 'remove' and material 'physical object'. So in finance it means turning paper certificates into electronic records by 'removing' the paper and keeping the record online.