grammaticalization

This term is a specialized technical expression used primarily in linguistics to describe a specific evolutionary path of language. It refers to the shift where a word with a concrete, lexical meaning becomes a tool for expressing grammatical relationships, such as when a verb meaning "to go" evolves into a future tense marker.

Because it describes a systemic process of change over time, it is treated as an uncountable noun in academic discourse. It is not used to describe the act of making something grammatical in a prescriptive sense, but rather the natural, historical drift of linguistic structures.