edition

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪˈdɪʃ.ᵊn/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French édition, and directly from Latin ēditiō (“a bringing forth, producing; a statement”),^[2][3][4] from ēdere (“to bring forth, produce, publish”),^[2][3] from ex (“out”) and -dere, from dare (“to give”),^[2][4] from Proto-Indo-European *do- (“to give”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A version or translation of a literary work: the early 15th century.^[2] The OED's first example, “publication”, is from 1551.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The act of publishing is from the 1550s.^[2][5] An issue of a book in print, the whole number of copies printed at one time, is from 1555.^[5] It could also mean birth or creation (1599) or a kind or stamp (before 1625), both obsolete.^[5] Figurative use, as of a person resembling another, is from 1612.^[5] The OED noted that it is awkward to speak of “the second edition of Campbell's edition of Plato”, but that usage offered no better way of saying it.^[2] The verb, “to make an edition of”, is from 1716.^[5]

Timeline

• early 15th century – a version of a work.^[2]
• 1551 – publication.^[5]
• 1555 – an issue of a printed book.^[5]
• 1599 – birth, creation.^[5]
• 1612 – figurative use.^[5]
• 1716 – verb, to make an edition of.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. All the copies of a publication printed at one time.
2. A particular form or version of a publication: a paperback edition.
3. A single copy of such an issue.
4. One of the regular issues of a newspaper or broadcast: the evening edition.
5. A particular instance of a regular event: this year's edition of the festival.

Word family

• co-edition
• bulldog edition
• first edition
• limited edition
• pocket edition
• trade edition

Related words

• edit
• editor
• editorial
• add
• data
• donation

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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press