noun

incorporation

in-kor-puh-RAY-shuhn/ɪnˌkɔːrpəˈreɪʃn/

The combining of parts into an organized whole.

The incorporation of separate storefronts creates one shared company model.

Several shop owners join their separate storefront models into one shared company model while one owner places the last piece inside the whole.

Etymology

inLatininto

+corporLatinbody

+ationLatinact or process

Uniting things “into one body” explains inclusion within a whole. In the legal sense, that body is an artificial person formed by a union of people and able to act as one.

In context

TED presenter16:22

the 25th anniversary of the incorporation of the SETI Institute as a non-profit,

Jill Tarter: Why the search for alien intelligence matters

Ableton presenter37:55

its incorporation by dominant culture. There's always an underground in the undercommons,

Paul Goodwin on Re-Visioning Black Urbanism through Music | Loop

More examples

The recipe calls for gradual incorporation of the flour.
The incorporation of customer suggestions improves the final design.
The lawyer files the documents required for the company's incorporation.

Forms

incorporation · incorporations

incorporate verb — To make part of a larger whole.

Similar words

integration: Emphasizes fitting parts together so they function as one.
inclusion: Means adding something, without necessarily uniting it with other parts.
combination: Means joining things, without requiring an organized whole.