registry English · revision 39738

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=a1529, J. Skelton}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈɹɛd͡ʒɪstɹi/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It was formed [[af|en|register|-ry]].^(SOED 2002)^(MWU 2024)^(Dictionary.com 2016) Etymonline takes it from the noun ''register'' with the suffix ''-y'',^(Etymonline) the Shorter Oxford from the verb,^(SOED 2002) and the OED explains it as a variant of the earlier [[m|en|registery]] with the third syllable dropped.^(OED 2026) The Shorter Oxford compares [[la-med|registerium]].^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A register or book of record, or an entry in one: a1529, in John Skelton's ''Why Come Ye Not to Court'',^(OED 2026)^(HTOED) the date Merriam-Webster gives as about 1529.^(MWU 2024) Etymonline dates the word to the late 15th century in the sense "the act of registering",^(Etymonline) and Dictionary.com to 1475–85.^(Dictionary.com 2016)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the book itself the word passed in 1531 to the office where registers are kept,^(OED 2026)^(HTOED) Etymonline dates that sense to about 1600.^(Etymonline) The OED's first quotation for the act of registering, registration, is from Puttenham's ''Arte of English Poesie'' (1589),^(OED 2026) and Johnson (1755) gave both "the act of inserting in the register" and "the place where the register is kept".^(Johnson 1755) The office of registrar was also called a registry from 1648 to 1740.^(OED 2026)^(HTOED) Later senses include the nationality of a ship as shown by its entry in a register,^(MWU 2024)^(Collins 2023) the North American gift list kept by a shop for a wedding (1933),^(OED 2026) and in computing the Windows database of configuration settings (1992).^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * a1529 – a register, a book of record.^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1531 – an office where registers are kept.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1589 – the act of registering.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1648–1740 – the office of registrar.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1933 – (North America) a gift list kept by a shop.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1992 – (computing) the Windows registry.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A place or [[office]] where [[register|alt=registers]] or records are kept: ''They married at the local registry.''^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # An official list or [[record]]; a register: ''a national registry of organ donors''.^(MWU 2024)^(OED 2026)

+ # The act of registering; [[registration]].^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)

+ # The country in which a [[ship]] is registered, and whose flag it flies: ''a tanker of Panamanian registry''.^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # (chiefly North America) A list of gifts chosen by a couple before a [[wedding]] or by parents before a birth, kept by a shop for guests to buy from.^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)

+ # (computing) A [[database]] in Windows systems that stores settings for the operating system, programs and hardware.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[registry office]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[register]]

+ * [[registrar]]

+ * [[registration]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ A ''registry office'' (also ''register office'') is a British local office where births, marriages and deaths are recorded and civil marriages take place.^(SOED 2002)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}