correlation

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌkɒɹ.əˈleɪ.ʃən/ (UK); /ˌkɔɹ.əˈleɪ.ʃən/, /ˌkɑ.ɹəˈleɪ.ʃən/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French corrélation or Medieval Latin correlātiō,^[2][3][4] from com- (“together”) and relātiō (“relation”) (see relation).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Mutual relation or interdependence: 1561 in the OED and Merriam-Webster, the 1560s in Etymonline.^[5][3][2]

Semantic evolution

Relationship between persons is an obsolete sense from 1649.^[5] Grove's correlation of forces in physics is from 1843,^[5] and the mutual association of structures in biology from 1859.^[5] The action of bringing into orderly connection is by 1879,^[2][5] and in statistics the interdependence of two variable quantities from 1888.^[5]

Timeline

• 1561 – mutual relation.^[5]
• 1843 – correlation of forces.^[5]
• 1879 – the act of correlating.^[2][5]
• 1888 – statistical correlation.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A mutual relationship or connection between two or more things.
2. (statistics) The degree to which two variables change together.
3. The act of correlating.

Word family

• correlational
• autocorrelation
• intercorrelation
• miscorrelation
• noncorrelation
• correlation coefficient

Related words

• correlate
• relation
• relate
• correlative

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press