Etymologically
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decision

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /dɪˈsɪʒ.ən/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English decisioun, borrowed from Middle French décision,[2][3][4] from Latin dēcīsiō (“a cutting short; a settlement”),[2][4] from dēcīsus, the past participle of dēcīdere (“to cut off; to decide”),[4][5] the source of decide.[3] The verb is from dē- (“off”) and caedere (“to cut”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of deciding: the mid-15th century[2] or about 1454.[3] The OED's first quotation, for the deciding of a contest or question, is from 1490.[6]

Semantic evolution

A final judgment or opinion in a case is from the 1550s,[2] 1552 in the OED.[6] The literal sense “cutting off, separation” was used from 1584[6] until 1711.[7] The quality of being decided in character, “determination”, is by 1781,[2][6] and “a resolution, the making up of one's mind” by 1886.[2][6] In boxing, a win on points is a decision,[8] and the verb, to beat on points, is from 1914 in Merriam-Webster.[9] Decision-making is by 1946.[2]

Timeline

  • mid-15th century – the act of deciding.[2]
  • 1552 – a judgment in a case.[6]
  • 1584 – a cutting off.[6]
  • 1781 – firmness of character.[2][6]
  • 1886 – the making up of one's mind.[6]
  • 1914 – verb, to win on points.[9]
  • 1946 – decision-making.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A conclusion reached after thought; a choice.
  2. The act of reaching a conclusion or making up one's mind.
  3. A judgment or verdict, as of a court.
  4. Firmness of character; determination.
  5. (boxing) A win on points.

Verb

  1. (boxing) To beat on points.

Word family

  • decisional
  • decision-making
  • indecision
  • nondecision
  • predecision
  • redecision
  • subdecision
  • decision procedure

Usage notes

The American Heritage Dictionary compares decision with conclusion and determination.[8]

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 k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  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. ^ Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  8. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  9. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster