invitation
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/[1]
Etymology
It is borrowed from Middle French invitation or directly Latin invitatio (“an invitation, incitement”),[2][3][4] from the past participle stem of invītāre (“to invite, entertain”) (see invite),[4][5] from in-, toward, and an obscure second element, which Watkins traces to PIE Proto-Indo-European *weie- (“to go after, pursue”).[4]
Earliest recorded meaning
The act of inviting: mid-15th century in Etymonline;[4] 1611 in the OED.[6]
Semantic evolution
The presenting of attractions or inducements is from 1598,[6] and the spoken or written form in which a person is invited from 1615.[6][4] An entertainment to which one is invited is a rare obsolete sense of 1682.[6] Attributive use, as in invitation card, is from 1808.[6][2] In bridge, a bid inviting the partner to bid further is from 1928.[6]
Timeline
- mid-15th century – act of inviting.[4]
- 1598 – inducement.[6]
- 1615 – the written form.[6]
- 1808 – attributive use.[6]
- 1928 – in bridge.[6]
Modern meaning
Noun
- The act of inviting.
- A spoken or written request for someone to come or take part.
- An enticement or attraction.
Word family
- invitational
- reinvitation
Related words
- invite
- inviting
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press