Etymologically
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logistics

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ləˈd͡ʒɪstɪks/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French logistique (“the art of quartering troops”),[2][3][4] apparently from logis (“lodging”), from Old French logeis (“shelter for an army, encampment”), from loge (see lodge),[2][3] with a Greek-derived suffix, its form influenced by logistique (“of calculation”) (see logistic).[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The art of moving, quartering and supplying troops: 1846 in Etymonline, 1879 in Barnhart and the OED.[3][2][5]

Semantic evolution

The New Oxford dates it to the late 19th century.[6] The management of materials flowing through an organization, and the detailed planning of any large complex operation, are later extensions.[7][8] Logistical is a related adjective.[3]

Timeline

  • 1846 – logistics (Etymonline).[3]
  • 1879 – the movement and supply of troops.[2][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The planning and management of the movement, supply and quartering of military forces.
  2. The detailed organization of a complex operation, or the management of the flow of goods through a business.
  • logistician
  • logistic
  • logistical
  • lodge
  • lodging

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin