Etymologically
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application

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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
  • 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