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informational

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Etymology and origin of the English word informational

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1821 Jeremy Bentham, Elements of the Art of Packing
Ultimate origin
Latin īnfōrmō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English information
English informational
From the same root
English misinformation ← information

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃənəl/[1]
  • US: /ˌɪnfɚˈmeɪʃənəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English information + -al.[2][3] Information goes back through Old French informacion to Latin īnfōrmātiō (“outline, concept, idea”), a noun of action from īnfōrmō (“to give form to; to train, instruct”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of, relating to, or conveying information: the revised OED's first record is from 1821, in Jeremy Bentham's Elements of the Art of Packing.[2] Etymonline and the 1989 edition of the OED date the word to 1810.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The OED defines it both as "involving information" and as "conveying information", and its quotations show both uses.[2][5] Grammarphobia notes that some speakers use it for what is meant to give information, keeping informative for what really does, and that the American definitions of the Cambridge dictionaries lean the same way, though most standard dictionaries list the word only as a derivative of information.[5]

Timeline

  • 1821 – of, relating to, or conveying information, in Bentham.[2] Etymonline and the 1989 edition of the OED date it to 1810.[3][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Relating to or involving information: an informational brochure on recycling.[2][6]
  2. Giving information; informative.[2][6]

Word family

  • noninformational

Usage notes

Grammarphobia finds support for a distinction between informational, intended to inform, and informative, actually giving useful information, but warns against making too much of it.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c O'Conner, Patricia T.; Kellerman, Stewart, The Grammarphobia Blog, grammarphobia.com, p. "Informational vs. informative", 27 June 2012
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Informational.” Etymologically, 1 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/informational. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·