Etymologically
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certificate

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 12:39. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /səˈtɪfɪkət/, /sɜːˈtɪfɪkət/ (UK); /sɚˈtɪfɪkət/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English certificat, borrowed from Middle French certificat or directly borrowed from Medieval Latin certificatum (“a thing certified”),[2][3][4] the noun use of the neuter past participle of certificare (“to make certain”) (see certify),[2][3] from certus (“certain”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The action of certifying, an attestation: the early 15th century in Etymonline,[2] late Middle English in SOED, whose sense lasted until the mid-17th century.[4]

Semantic evolution

A document in which a fact is formally attested is from 1447 in the OED,[5] the mid-15th century in Etymonline,[2] and especially one showing the bearer's status or qualifications, such as a licence to practise, from 1549, the 1540s in Etymonline.[5][2] Later uses include a bankrupt's certificate (1707), a document committing someone to an asylum (1883),[5] and the British Certificate of Secondary Education (1961).[5] The verb, to furnish with or authorize by a certificate, is from the 18th century,[4] 1818 in the OED and MWU.[5][3]

Timeline

  • early 15th century – the action of certifying.[2]
  • 1447 – a document attesting a fact.[5]
  • 1549 – a document certifying the bearer's status or qualifications.[5]
  • 1818 – the verb.[5][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An official document attesting the truth of certain facts, such as a birth, marriage or death.
  2. A document showing that someone has completed a course or may practise a profession.
  3. A document showing ownership, such as a share certificate.

Verb

  1. To furnish with or authorize by a certificate.

Word family

  • certificatory
  • birth certificate
  • certificate of deposit
  • death certificate
  • gift certificate
  • gold certificate
  • silver certificate
  • stock certificate
  • certify
  • certified
  • certain
  • certification
  • certitude

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press