Etymologically
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coverage

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 21:12. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkʌv.ər.ɪdʒ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English cover + -age.[2][3][4] A Middle English coverage, a charge for a booth at a fair (mid-15th century), fell out of use, and the word is not in the Century Dictionary (1902); it was coined again in American English in 1912.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The aggregate of risks covered by an insurance policy: 1912, American English.[2][5][6]

Semantic evolution

It was later extended to sports, the media and other fields.[2] The area within range of a radio or television transmitter, or the share of the public it reaches, is from 1930,[5] as is the range of functions of a service or business.[5] The reporting of an event in the news, and the extent of it, is from 1931,[5] as is an amount of money available to meet liabilities.[5] The range of a camera lens is from 1936.[5]

Timeline

  • 1912 – insurance coverage.[2][5]
  • 1930 – broadcasting range.[5]
  • 1931 – news reporting.[5]
  • 1936 – the range of a lens.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The extent to which something is reported in the news or analysed: television coverage of the election.
  2. Inclusion in an insurance policy, or the extent of protection it gives.
  3. The area or number of people reached by a broadcasting station or advertising.
  4. Funds held in reserve to meet liabilities.

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. ^ 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. ^ 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
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster