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conclusion

Etymology and origin of the English word conclusion

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1340
Borrowed from
Old French conclusion via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin (claudere)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /kənˈkluː.ʒən/, /kəŋˈkluː.ʒən/, US /kənˈkluː.ʒən/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English conclusioun, borrowed from Old French conclusion (“result, outcome”) and directly from Latin conclūsiō (“a shutting up, conclusion”),[2][3][4] a noun of action from the past participle of conclūdere (“to shut up, enclose”).[2][3] See conclude.[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A judgement reached by reasoning, an inference: about 1340 in the OED, the late 14th century in Etymonline.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

The end or close of something is from 1382, and the final result or outcome from about 1384.[6] The last part of a speech or writing, which sums up its main points, is from about 1386, as is in conclusion.[6][2] A foregone conclusion is an outcome that is certain from the start.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1340 – an inference.[6]
  • 1382 – the end.[6]
  • c. 1384 – a result.[6]
  • c. 1386 – the last part of a speech.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The end or last part of something.
  2. A judgment or opinion reached after thinking about something.
  3. The final part of a speech or essay, which sums it up.
  4. The settling of an agreement: the conclusion of a treaty.
  5. (logic) A statement that follows from the premises of an argument.

Word family

  • conclusional
  • conclusionally
  • conclusionary
  • nonconclusion
  • foregone conclusion
  • conclude
  • conclusive
  • exclusion
  • inclusion
  • close

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 e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Conclusion.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/conclusion. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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