identification
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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
- The act of identifying or the state of being identified.
- A document such as a passport or card that proves who someone is.
- A feeling of sympathy with or similarity to another person.
Word family
- nonidentification
- overidentification
- reidentification
- self-identification
- identification card
- personal identification number
Related words
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ 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