Etymologically
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authentication

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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ɔːˌθɛntɪˈkeɪʃn̩/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English authenticate + -ation;[2][3] the OED compares Medieval Latin authenticatio, recorded from the 13th century in British sources.[2] Authenticate is from Medieval Latin authenticō (“to make authentic”),[2][3][4] from Late Latin authenticus (“authentic”),[3][4] from Ancient Greek αὐθεντικός (authentikós, “original, genuine, principal”), from αὐθέντης (authéntēs, “one acting on one's own authority”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The action or process of validating or confirming something: 1612, in S. Lennard's translation of P. de Mornay's Mysterie Iniquitie.[2] The OED revised the date in 2014: its 1989 edition began the word in 1788,[5][2] and Etymonline dates it to 1748.[3]

Semantic evolution

A second sense, the condition of being authentic, authenticity, is recorded from 1634.[2] In law, authentication is the proving that a document is genuine so that it may be admitted as evidence, and also a person's adoption of a writing as his or her own.[6] In computing, the verb authenticate has meant to verify the identity of a user or process since 1977,[2] and authentication is now commonly the proof of identity needed to log in to a network or service.[1]

Timeline

  • 1612 – the action of validating or confirming something.[2]
  • 1634 – the condition of being authentic; authenticity.[2]
  • 1748 – the act of verifying or establishing credibility, in Etymonline's dating.[3]
  • 1977 – authenticate, to verify the identity of a computer user.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act or process of proving or confirming that something is genuine or valid: the authentication of a newly found painting.[2][1]
  2. (computing) The checking of a user's identity before access to a network or service is allowed.[1]
  3. (law) Proof that a document is genuine, so that it can be admitted as evidence.[6]
  4. The condition of being authentic; authenticity.[2][5]

Word family

  • nonauthentication
  • reauthentication

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Garner, Bryan A., ed. (2004), Black's Law Dictionary, 8th ed., St. Paul, Minn.: Thomson West