Etymologically
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detail

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈdiː.teɪl/, /dɪˈteɪl/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French détail,[2][3][4] from Old French detail “a small piece or quantity”, literally “a cutting in pieces”,[3][2] from detaillier “to cut in pieces” (12th century),[3][2] from de- “entirely, apart” and taillier “to cut”,[3][2][4] based on Latin talea “twig, cutting”.[5] It is related to tailor and retail.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

1603, in the phrase in detail, item by item,[2][6][4] from French en détail “piece by piece”, the commercial opposite of en gros, used where English now has retail.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

From item-by-item sale the meaning grew into the treatment of matters item by item.[2][3] A minute account or narrative is from the 1690s,[3] 1695 in the OED,[6] and an individual part or particular from 1786.[3][6] In fine arts a small subordinate part is from 1823.[3][6] The military sense, the assignment of particular duties from the daily orders, is from 1703–08,[2][3] and a small group of soldiers sent on a special duty from 1780.[2] The verb, to relate in particulars, is from 1637–50,[2][6] and to assign to a duty from 1793.[3][6] Detailed is from 1740.[2]

Timeline

  • 1603 – in detail.[2][6]
  • 1637–50 – verb, to relate minutely.[2][6]
  • 1695 – a minute account.[6]
  • 1703–08 – military orders.[2]
  • 1740 – detailed.[2]
  • 1780 – a squad on special duty.[2]
  • 1786 – a particular.[3][6]
  • 1793 – verb, to assign to a duty.[3][6]
  • 1823 – in fine arts.[3][6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An individual part or item; a particular.
  2. Particulars considered together: attention to detail.
  3. A minor or unimportant item.
  4. A small part of a work of art, considered or reproduced on its own.
  5. A small group of soldiers or workers given a special task, or the task itself.

Verb

  1. To report in particulars; to itemize.
  2. To assign to a special duty.
  3. (North American) To clean (a motor vehicle) very thoroughly.

Word family

  • detailer
  • detailing

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 l m n o p q Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c 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 j k l Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press