Pronounced: pill-GAR-lick, noun
Notes: An older word; it doesn’t stir any memories for me
Yesterday’s word
The word McDonaldization means
- standardization that focuses on efficiency, predictability, control, etc at the expense of individuality or creativity
- the spread of the influence of American culture
First usage
Our word came into English in the 1970s
Background / Comments
As you might expect, our word came from the fast food chain known as McDonald’s; I always thought Ray Kroc started it, but it was started by two brothers named McDonald (Richard & Maurice); Ray Kroc became their franchising agent in 1954. In 1961, Ray Kroc purchased the restaurant from the McDonald bothers, and began to expand rapidly.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 