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contribution

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 04:10. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˌkɒn.trɪˈbjuː.ʃən/, US /ˌkɑːn.trɪˈbjuː.ʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English contribucioun, borrowed from Old French contribution (“payment”) and directly borrowed from Late Latin contribūtiō (“a dividing, distributing”) (accusative contributionem),[2][3][4] a noun of action from contribūtus, the past participle of contribuere (“to bring together, add”),[2][5] from com- “together” and tribuere “to allot, pay” (see tribute).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A tax or levy imposed on a district or population, for example to pay for defence in a border region: before 1387, in Trevisa, in Barnhart and the OED.[3][6][2]

Semantic evolution

The act of giving in common with others is from the mid-15th century,[2] 1582 in the OED,[6] and something given towards a common end from about 1600.[2][6] To lay under contribution, to levy payments from, is from 1644.[6] In law, the payment of each party's share of a common loss is from 1641.[6] An article written for a magazine or journal is from 1714.[2][6] The old sense, a levy imposed by an occupying army, is now historical.[7]

Timeline

  • 1387 – a tax or levy.[6][3]
  • mid-15th century – giving in common.[2]
  • c. 1600 – something given.[2]
  • 1641 – in law.[6]
  • 1714 – an article for a journal.[2][6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of contributing.
  2. Something given, such as money, time or ideas, towards a common purpose.
  3. An article or story written for a newspaper or other publication.
  4. A payment demanded for a special purpose; a levy.

Word family

  • contributive
  • contributively
  • contributional
  • noncontribution
  • overcontribution

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 f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press