document

Forms

document m (plural documents)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin documentum (“lesson, example, teaching”),^{[2][3][4][1][5]} which in Late Latin also meant a written deed serving as evidence; it is derived from doceō (“to teach, inform”).^[2][3]

Cognate with Old Occitan document, Spanish documento and Italian documento.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1214 in Frère Anger's Vie de saint Grégoire, meaning teaching or instruction.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Until the 17th century the only sense was “what serves to instruct, a lesson, teaching”; it was still used so at the end of the 18th century.^[3][4][7] The modern sense, a writing that serves as proof or information, seems to come from the legal phrase titres et documents (1690, Furetière), and the word became fully independent in this sense only in the 19th century, supported by its derivatives documenter, documentation (1870) and documentaire (1876).^[3][4][8] Document humain, a person's life or experience as material for study, is recorded in 1888.^[8] Familiar French shortened it to doc and docu (1977).^[3]

Timeline

• 1214 – First record, in Frère Anger's Vie de saint Grégoire.^[2]
• 1690 – Furetière records the modern sense, in titres et documents.^[8][3]
• 1755 – Documenter appears, meaning “to teach”.^[3]
• 1797 – The old sense “information, teaching” still occurs in the account of La Pérouse's voyage.^[2]
• 1870 – Documentation is recorded.^[3][4]
• 1888 – Larousse records document humain.^[8]
• 1977 – The clippings doc and docu are recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A document, a writing that serves as evidence or information: documents d'archives.^[9][10][2]
2. By extension, any object that serves as a source of information: document sonore, document photographique.^[9][8]
3. Anything that serves as proof or testimony.^[9]
4. (computing) A file.^[1]
5. (obsolete) A lesson, teaching.^[2][6]

Word family

• documenter
• documentaire
• documentation
• documentologie

Related words

• docteur
• doctrine
• docile
• docte
• Latin documentum

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 112b
6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
9. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
10. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert