identification

Pronunciation

• IPA: /aɪˌdɛntɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, /ɪˌdɛntɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French identification, probably from identifier (see identify),^[2][3] originally from Medieval Latin identificatio, from identificare.^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The treating of a thing as identical with another: 1644.^[6][2][3]

Semantic evolution

In psychology, becoming or feeling oneself one with another is from 1857.^[2][6] The determination of what a thing or person is, as of a body or a criminal, is from 1859.^[6] A document proving one's identity, such as a passport or driving licence, is from 1947, short for identification card or tag.^[2][6]

Timeline

• 1644 – treating as identical.^[6]
• 1857 – identification with another.^[2][6]
• 1859 – establishing identity.^[6]
• 1947 – an identity document.^[2][6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The act of identifying or the state of being identified.
2. A document such as a passport or card that proves who someone is.
3. A feeling of sympathy with or similarity to another person.

Word family

• nonidentification
• overidentification
• reidentification
• self-identification
• identification card
• personal identification number

Related words

• identic
• identical
• identifier
• identify
• identity
• ID

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press