Etymologically
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device

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /dɪˈvaɪs/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English devis, devise,[2][3][4] borrowed from Old French devis (“division; disposition, wish, desire; coat of arms, emblem; a bequest”) and devise “plan, design, will”,[2][3][5] from deviser (“to arrange, plan, contrive”), literally “to dispose in portions”,[2] from Vulgar Latin *dīvīsāre, a frequentative of dīvidere (“to divide”).[2][3] The spelling device is from the 15th century.[5] It is related to devise and divide.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

“Intent, desire; a plan or design; a literary composition”: about 1300 in Etymonline;[2] the OED has a contrivance for some end about 1290, and will or desire before 1300.[6]

Semantic evolution

The basic sense, the method by which something is divided, arose in Old French and led to the modern meanings through the notion of something invented for a purpose.[2] The original sense, “desire, intention”, survives only in to leave someone to their own devices[7][8] and in the Book of Common Prayer's “the devices and desires of our own hearts”.[7] From about 1400 it meant an artistic design, and especially an emblem with a motto expressing its bearer's principles;[2] also from about 1400 a mechanical contrivance, such as a large crossbow with a crank.[2] A bequest in a will is from the mid-15th century.[2] Since about 1996 it has been used especially of a hand-held electronic or computing instrument.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1290 – a contrivance for an end.[6]
  • before 1300 – will, desire.[6]
  • c. 1400 – an emblem; a mechanical contrivance.[2]
  • mid-15th century – a bequest.[2]
  • c. 1996 – a hand-held electronic device.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A contrivance or invention made for a particular purpose, especially a machine or gadget.
  2. A technique or means; a plan or scheme, often a trick.
  3. A literary or artistic contrivance used for effect, such as personification.
  4. An ornamental design, especially an emblem with a motto.
  5. An explosive contrivance; a bomb.
  6. Devices, one's own inclination: left to their own devices.

Word family

  • deviceful
  • devicefully
  • devicefulness

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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press