password

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈpɑːs.wɜːd/, US /ˈpæs.wɝːd/^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of pass and word.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A secret word appointed as a sign to tell friend from foe: 1798 in Etymonline, 1799 in Merriam-Webster, about 1817 in the OED.^[2][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense, a watchword or secret of admittance, is from 1836.^[5] In computing, a sequence of characters that must be typed to gain access to a system is from 1965,^[5] and password-protected from 1971.^[5]

Timeline

• 1798 – a secret word.^[2]
• 1836 – a watchword (figurative).^[5]
• 1965 – a computer password.^[5]
• 1971 – password-protected.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A secret word or phrase used to gain admittance or prove identity.
2. A sequence of characters needed to gain access to a computer system.
3. An action or quality that gains acceptance.

Related words

• watchword
• shibboleth
• pass
• passport

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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press