Etymologically
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edition

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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

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