Etymologically
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replacement

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 02:10. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /rɪˈpleɪs.mənt/, /rəˈpleɪs.mənt/[1]

Etymology

It is from English replace + -ment.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of replacing: before 1790 in the OED, 1790 in Etymonline, 1743 in MWU.[4][2][5]

Semantic evolution

Something or someone that takes the place of another is from 1894.[2][4] In geology, the dissolving of one mineral and its replacement by another is from 1906.[4]

Timeline

  • 1743 – first known use.[5]
  • a. 1790 – act of replacing.[4]
  • 1894 – a substitute.[2][4]
  • 1906 – in geology.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of replacing something or being replaced; substitution.
  2. A person or thing that takes the place of another.
  3. (geology) The gradual growth of one mineral in place of another.

Word family

  • nonreplacement
  • hormone replacement therapy

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 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. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster