Etymologically
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delivery

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 23:08. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /dɪˈlɪv.ər.i/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English deliverie,[2] borrowed from Anglo-Norman delivrée, the noun use of the feminine past participle of Old French delivrer “to set free; to hand over”,[3][4][5] the source of deliver.[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In law, the formal handing over of goods to another: 1327 in the Historical Thesaurus.[6] The action of setting free, and of handing over to another: the early 15th century in Etymonline.[3]

Semantic evolution

The emptying of a prison to bring prisoners to trial, a gaol delivery, is from 1464.[6] The conveying of letters, parcels and goods is from 1480,[7][6] and surrender of a castle or town from about 1452.[6] Childbirth is from 1548 in the Historical Thesaurus,[6] 1577 in the OED,[7] the 1570s in Etymonline.[3] The utterance of words, as of a speech, is from 1577, and the manner of public speaking from 1582;[6] Etymonline dates this sense to the 1660s.[3] The discharge of a missile is from 1588,[6] and of a ball in cricket or baseball from 1816,[6] 1702 in Etymonline for a blow or throw in general.[3] The hospital delivery room is from 1849.[3]

Timeline

  • 1327 – the legal handing over of goods.[6]
  • 1464 – gaol delivery.[6]
  • 1480 – the delivery of goods.[7][6]
  • 1548 – childbirth.[6]
  • 1582 – manner of speaking.[6]
  • 1588 – the discharge of a missile.[6]
  • 1816 – the bowling of a ball.[6]
  • 1849 – delivery room.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of taking goods, letters or parcels to the person they are meant for; something delivered.
  2. The act of handing over; formal transfer of property.
  3. The act of giving birth; childbirth.
  4. The manner of speaking or singing in public.
  5. The act or manner of throwing or bowling a ball.
  6. Release, rescue; surrender.

Word family

  • redelivery
  • delivery boy
  • delivery room
  • breech delivery
  • general delivery

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 Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press