Etymologically
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disclosure

Etymology and origin of the English word disclosure

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1567
Ultimate origin
English (disclose)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /dɪsˈkləʊ.ʒə/, US /dɪsˈkloʊ.ʒɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed in English from disclose and -ure,[2] perhaps on the model of closure.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of opening up to view, revealing: 1567 in Merriam-Webster,[4] before 1598 in the OED, the 1590s in Etymonline.[5][2]

Semantic evolution

The hatching of young from an egg was called disclosure from 1640,[5] and the mouth of a river from 1660, both now obsolete.[5] That which is disclosed, a revelation, is by 1825.[2][5]

Timeline

  • 1567 – revealing.[4]
  • 1640 – hatching (obsolete).[5]
  • 1825 – something disclosed.[2][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of revealing or making something known.
  2. Something disclosed; a revelation.

Word family

  • predisclosure
  • nondisclosure
  • self-disclosure

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. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Disclosure.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/disclosure. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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