endorsement English · revision 39869

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1547|origins=la dorsum}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ɪnˈdɔːɹs.mənt/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It was formed [[af|en|endorse|-ment]],^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Dictionary.com 2016) replacing an earlier [[m|enm|endosement]] of the early 15th century,^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) borrowed from [[m|xno|endossement]].^(Barnhart 1995)^(Dictionary.com 2016) The verb [[endorse]] is [[m|enm|endosen]], [[m|xno|endosser|t=to put on one's back, to write on the back of a document]],^(AHD 2024)^(Etymonline)^(AND) formed from [[m|fro|en-|t=on]] and [[m|fro|dos|t=back]], [[m|la|dorsum|t=back]];^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MWU 2024) in the 16th century its spelling was assimilated to [[m|la-med|indorsō]].^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The act of endorsing a document, and a signature or note written on its back: 1547.^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024)^(HTOED)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Johnson (1755) gave the word two senses, writing on the back of something and ratification, quoting George Herbert for the second;^(Johnson 1755) the OED dates this figurative sense, "confirmation, approving testimony", to 1633,^(OED 1989)^(HTOED) while the verb ''endorse'' did not take the meaning "to approve" until 1847.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995) In commerce the endorsement of a bill or cheque makes it payable to another person,^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024) and the variant spelling ''indorsement'', from 1586, has been used for this.^(OED 2026) In the 20th century the word was applied to a record of an offence entered on a driving licence (1902),^(HTOED)^(SOED 2002)^(Collins 2023) to an amendment of an insurance policy,^(AHD 2024)^(Collins 2023)^(MW Collegiate) and to a celebrity's paid recommendation of a product.^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * early 15th century – ''endosement''.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1547 – a signature or note on the back of a document.^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1586 – the spelling ''indorsement''.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1633 – confirmation, approval.^(OED 1989)^(HTOED)

+ * 1902 – a record of an offence on a licence.^(HTOED)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # An act of [[approval]] or [[support]], especially a public statement of it: ''The senator won the endorsement of the teachers' union.''^(Collins 2023)^(AHD 2024)^(MWU 2024)

+ # A [[signature]] or note written on the back of a [[cheque]] or other document, especially one that transfers it to another person.^(AHD 2024)^(MWU 2024)^(SOED 2002)

+ # A recommendation of a product by a well-known person in [[advertising]], or the payment received for it.^(MW Collegiate)^(AHD 2024)

+ # ''(British)'' A record of a driving [[offence]] entered on a [[licence]].^(Collins 2023)^(SOED 2002)

+ # ''(insurance)'' A clause added to a [[policy]] that changes its terms or cover.^(Collins 2023)^(AHD 2024)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[nonendorsement]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[endorse]]

+ * [[dorsal]]

+ * [[dossier]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}