document

[ noun dok-yuh-muhnt; verb dok-yuh-ment ]
See synonyms for: documentdocumenteddocumentingdocuments on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a written or printed paper furnishing information or evidence, as a passport, deed, bill of sale, or bill of lading; a legal or official paper: You'll need documents from your employers and your bank to prepare your income tax return.

  2. any written item, as a book, article, or letter, especially of a factual or informative nature: The leaked document proves that the management team knew about the safety issues before the product launch.

  1. Digital Technology. a computer data file, especially one with formatted text: Luckily, I saved my document right before the power went out.

  2. Archaic. evidence; proof.

verb (used with object)
  1. to furnish with documents.

  2. to furnish with references, citations, etc., in support of statements made: a carefully documented biography.

  1. to support by documentary evidence: to document a case.

  2. Nautical. to provide (a vessel) with a certificate giving particulars concerning nationality, ownership, tonnage, dimensions, etc.

  3. Obsolete. to instruct.

Origin of document

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin documentum “example (as precedent, warning, etc.),” from doc(ēre) “to teach” + -u- (variant of -i- -i- before labials) + -mentum -ment

Other words for document

Other words from document

  • doc·u·ment·a·ble [dok-yuh-men-tuh-buhl, dok-yuh-men-], /ˈdɒk yəˌmɛn tə bəl, ˌdɒk yəˈmɛn-/, adjective
  • doc·u·ment·er, noun
  • non·doc·u·ment·ed, adjective, noun
  • re·doc·u·ment, verb (used with object)
  • well-doc·u·ment·ed, adjective

Words Nearby document

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use document in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for document

document

noun(ˈdɒkjʊmənt)
  1. a piece of paper, booklet, etc, providing information, esp of an official or legal nature

  2. a piece of text or text and graphics stored in a computer as a file for manipulation by document processing software

  1. archaic evidence; proof

verb(ˈdɒkjʊˌmɛnt) (tr)
  1. to record or report in detail, as in the press, on television, etc: the trial was well documented by the media

  2. to support (statements in a book) with citations, references, etc

  1. to support (a claim, etc) with evidence or proof

  2. to furnish (a vessel) with official documents specifying its ownership, registration, weight, dimensions, and function

Origin of document

1
C15: from Latin documentum a lesson, from docēre to teach

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012