outlet

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈaʊt.let/, /ˈaʊt.lət/^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of out and the verb let,^[2][3] formed after let out.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A place or opening by which something escapes, first a river mouth: before 1250 in the OED, the mid-13th century in Etymonline.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense, a means of relief or release for feelings, is from the 1620s.^[2][5] In anatomy, the opening of a body cavity is from 1797.^[5] An electrical socket is from 1892,^[2][5] and a market for a product is a later commercial sense,^[2] with a retail store selling a manufacturer's goods attested by 1933.^[2] A media outlet, an organization that publishes news, is a modern use.^[6]

Timeline

• before 1250 – a river mouth, an opening.^[5][2]
• 1620s – a means of relief.^[2]
• 1797 – an anatomical opening.^[5]
• 1892 – an electrical socket.^[2]
• 1933 – a retail store.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An opening or passage through which something can escape; a vent.
2. A means of release or expression for emotion or energy.
3. A shop or market selling a product: retail outlets.
4. An organization that publishes news: media outlets.
5. (US) An electrical socket.
6. A stream flowing out of a lake.

Related words

• let
• out
• inlet

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 f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins