Etymologically
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appointment

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 00:30. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /əˈpɔɪnt.mənt/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English appointement, borrowed from Old French apointement,[2][3] from apointer “to arrange, settle”,[2][3] the source of appoint, and the suffix -ment.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A pointing out, an indication: about 1425 in the OED, an obsolete sense.[4] An agreement, a pact, and the fixing of a date for official business: the early 15th century in Etymonline, before 1440 in the OED.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Coming to terms with an enemy, capitulation, is from 1494,[4][5] and a direction or decree from about 1440.[4] An arrangement for a meeting is from about 1530.[4] Equipment or furnishings, often appointments, are from 1575.[4][6] In law, the act of deciding who gets a property is from 1601.[4] The act of placing someone in an office, or the office given, is from 1658–9 (the 1650s in Etymonline).[4][2]

Timeline

  • c. 1425 – an indication.[4]
  • a. 1440 – an agreement.[4]
  • 1494 – terms of surrender.[4]
  • c. 1530 – an arrangement to meet.[4]
  • 1575 – equipment.[4]
  • 1658 – placing someone in an office.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An arrangement to meet someone at a particular time and place, especially for a professional service.
  2. The act of choosing someone for a job or position, or the position itself.
  3. (plural) Furniture, fittings or equipment.

Word family

  • reappointment
  • appointment in Samarra
  • power of appointment
  • appoint
  • point
  • disappointment

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin