Etymologically
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simulation

Etymology and origin of the English word simulation

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1340
Borrowed from
Old French simulation via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin (similis)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌsɪm.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English simulacioun, borrowed from Old French simulation (“pretence”) and directly Latin simulātiō (“an imitating, feigning, hypocrisy”),[2][3] from the past participle stem of simulō (“to imitate”) (see simulate), from similis (“like, resembling”) (see similar).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Simulating with intent to deceive, a false show: 1340 in the OED, the mid-14th century in Etymonline.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

A false display or surface imitation of something is from about 1380.[4] In biology, a tendency to take on the form of something else is from 1870.[4] The technique of imitating the behaviour of a situation or process for study is from 1947 in the OED,[4] and a model or mock-up for experiment or training from 1954 in Etymonline.[2] Today it is often done by computer.[5]

Timeline

  • 1340 – feigning, pretence.[4]
  • c. 1380 – a false display.[4]
  • 1870 – imitative resemblance (biology).[4]
  • 1947 – imitation of a process.[4]
  • 1954 – a model for training.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act or process of simulating.
  2. An imitation; a sham.
  3. The assumption of a false appearance.
  4. A representation of a situation or process for study or training, especially on a computer.
  5. (mathematics, computing) The building of a mathematical model of a process to estimate how it behaves.

Word family

  • nonsimulation
  • simulator
  • simulate
  • similar
  • simulacrum
  • dissimulation

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. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h 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

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Simulation.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/simulation. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·