notification

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˌnəʊ.tɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, US /ˌnoʊ.t̬ə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃən/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English notificacioun, borrowed from Old French notificacion and directly Medieval Latin nōtificātiō,^[2][3] from the past participle stem of Latin nōtificō (“to make known”) (see notify).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The action of making known: about 1374 in the OED.^[4] Etymonline gives a sign or token, late 14th century.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The act of imparting information is from the early 15th century.^[2] Taking notice (1659) is a rare obsolete sense.^[4] Today a notification is also an alert on a phone or tablet showing new messages or updates.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 1374 – a making known.^[4]
• early 15th century – imparting information.^[2]
• 1659 – taking notice (obsolete).^[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The act of notifying.
2. A formal announcement; a notice.
3. Usually in the plural, an alert on a phone or other device showing new messages or updates.

Word family

• nonnotification
• prenotification
• renotification

Related words

• notify
• notice
• note
• notorious

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins