Etymologically
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submission

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /səbˈmɪʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English submissioun, borrowed from Old French submission and directly from Latin submissiō, submissiōnem, a letting down, lowering, yielding,[2][3] from submissus, past participle of submittere, to put under, let down, yield (see submit).[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

An act of submitting, in Chaucer, about 1390 in Barnhart;[2] Etymonline dates the sense of referring a matter to a third party for decision to the late 14th century,[3] and the OED's legal sense, agreement to abide by a decision, to 1411.[5]

Semantic evolution

Humble obedience is attested by the mid-15th century (about 1449 in the OED),[3][5] and submission to an authority or conquering power from 1482.[5] Acts of deference or homage are from 1617,[5] and the phrase with submission, subject to correction, from 1667.[5] The act of submitting a matter to someone for decision in wider use is from 1911,[5] and in law an advocate's theory of a case from 1922.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 1390 – an act of submitting.[2]
  • 1411 – agreement to abide by a decision (law).[5]
  • c. 1449 – submissiveness.[5]
  • 1482 – yielding to authority.[5]
  • 1911 – submitting for consideration.[5]
  • 1922 – an advocate's argument.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of yielding to the power or authority of another, or the state of having done so.
  2. The quality of being submissive; meekness.
  3. The act of submitting something for consideration, or the thing submitted, such as a proposal.
  4. (law) An argument put forward by counsel, or an agreement to refer a dispute to arbitration.

Word family

  • nonsubmission
  • presubmission
  • resubmission

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press