Etymologically
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subscription

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /səbˈskɹɪpʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English subscripcion, borrowed from Middle French subscription and directly from Latin subscriptiō, subscriptiōnem, anything written underneath, a signature,[2][3] from subscript-, past participle stem of subscrībere, to write underneath (see subscribe).[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A piece of writing at the end of a document, especially a signature attesting it: 1409 in Barnhart, about 1400 in Etymonline.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

A signature is from 1483,[5] the act of signing from 1492,[5] and a declaration of assent to articles of religion from 1588.[5] Subscribing money to a fund or stock is first recorded in 1647 (the 1640s),[2][3] a sum contributed for a purpose by the 1670s,[3] and subscribing to a periodical publication in 1679.[2]

Timeline

  • 1409 – a writing underneath.[2]
  • 1483 – a signature.[5]
  • 1588 – assent to articles.[5]
  • 1647 – subscribing money.[2]
  • 1679 – a subscription to a periodical.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An advance payment for issues of a periodical, a series of performances or a service over a set period.
  2. The raising of money from subscribers, or the sum raised.
  3. Membership fees paid regularly to a society or club.
  4. Assent to articles of faith, shown by signing one's name.

Word family

  • subscriptive
  • subscriptively
  • nonsubscription
  • resubscription

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e 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 Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press