certification

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˌsɜː.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, US /ˌsɝː.t̬ə.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin certificātiō, or Middle French certification,^[2][3] a noun from the past participle of Late Latin certificāre, to make certain (see certify).^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In law, a process for having a court's decision examined or altered: 1292 in the OED;^[4] notification, the early 15th century in Etymonline, about 1440 in the OED.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

Demonstration or proof is from the mid-15th century.^[3] The act of certifying or guaranteeing the truth of something, attestation, is from 1532.^[4] A certificate was formerly a certification (1574).^[4] Providing someone with a certificate, as of qualification, is from 1881.^[3]

Timeline

• 1292 – a legal process.^[4]
• c. 1440 – notification.^[4]
• 1532 – attestation.^[4]
• 1881 – the granting of a certificate.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The act of certifying, or the state of being certified.
2. Official confirmation that someone is qualified or that something meets a standard.
3. (law) A document attesting the truth of a fact.

Word family

• noncertification
• precertification
• recertification

Related words

• certify
• certificate
• certain

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 Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press