application

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌæp.lɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English applicacioun,^[2] borrowed from Old French aplicacion,^[3][4] from Latin applicātiō (“a joining to, attaching oneself to; the relation of a client to a patron”) (accusative applicātiōnem),^[3][4] a noun of action from applicāre (“to attach to, join, connect”),^[3][4] the source of apply, from ad (“to”) and plicāre (“to fold”),^[3] from Proto-Indo-European *plek- (“to plait”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The bringing of something to bear on something else: before 1398, in Trevisa's translation of Bartholomew's De Proprietatibus Rerum,^[4] the early 15th century in Etymonline.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The bringing of a law, theory or statement to bear on a particular case is from 1493,^[5] and putting something to a use, a specific use, from 1538.^[5] The administration of a medicine, or the remedy applied, is from 1601,^[5] and close attention, sincere hard effort, from about 1600.^[3] A formal request, as to be hired for a job, is by 1851.^[3] The computer sense, a program for a specific task, is a shortening of application program (1969),^[3] and itself is often shortened to app.^[6]

Timeline

• before 1398 – the bringing of one thing to bear on another.^[4]
• 1493 – the application of a law or theory.^[5]
• 1538 – a specific use.^[5]
• c. 1600 – diligence.^[3]
• 1601 – the application of a remedy.^[5]
• 1851 – a request for a job.^[3]
• 1969 – application program.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A formal written request, as for a job or a place at a school.
2. The act of putting something to use; a particular use: the application of new technology.
3. Relevance: a rule of general application.
4. The act of putting something, such as an ointment, on a surface.
5. Close attention; diligence.
6. (computing) A program designed for a particular task; an app.

Word family

• app
• interapplication
• nonapplication
• overapplication
• preapplication
• reapplication

Related words

• apply
• applicant
• appliance
• complicate
• implicate
• ply

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins