document
[noun dok-yuh-muhnt; verb dok-yuh-ment]
- 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.
- any written item, as a book, article, or letter, especially of a factual or informative nature.
- a computer data file.
- Archaic. evidence; proof.
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- to furnish with documents.
- to furnish with references, citations, etc., in support of statements made: a carefully documented biography.
- to support by documentary evidence: to document a case.
- Nautical. to provide (a vessel) with a certificate giving particulars concerning nationality, ownership, tonnage, dimensions, etc.
- Obsolete. to instruct.
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Origin of document
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
form, certificate, script, evidence, record, paper, diary, testimony, report, archive, detail, chronicle, cite, language, instrument, token, credentials, deed, note, catalogExamples from the Web for document
Contemporary Examples
A second document was titled: “Gambia Reborn: A Charter for Transition from Dictatorship to Democracy and Development.”
I am not the first or last person to document the hip-hop scene in Cuba.
Normal procedure is that any member country can request that a document be circulated, and the UN does it pro-forma.
Exclusive: Sony Emails Say Studio Exec Picked Kim Jong-Un as the Villain of ‘The Interview’William Boot
December 19, 2014
The document said Wright was condescending and had “resorted to name-calling,” though no examples were offered.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired.David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News
December 9, 2014
When Kocureck was shown the document by InsideClimate News, he disputed the accusations.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired.David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News
December 9, 2014
Historical Examples
He tears the document, and throws the pieces about furiously.
The Imaginary InvalidMolire
If we cling not to Him, our names to that document will be but as dust.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VII (of VII)John Greenleaf Whittier
A terrible sound arose when the reading of this document was done.
A Tale of Two CitiesCharles Dickens
There he handed out Ferry's document and went on rummaging for mine.
The CavalierGeorge Washington Cable
But if you had brought the document to me, you would have found me by far your best customer.
Jennie Baxter, JournalistRobert Barr
document
- a piece of paper, booklet, etc, providing information, esp of an official or legal nature
- a piece of text or text and graphics stored in a computer as a file for manipulation by document processing software
- archaic evidence; proof
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- to record or report in detail, as in the press, on television, etcthe trial was well documented by the media
- to support (statements in a book) with citations, references, etc
- to support (a claim, etc) with evidence or proof
- to furnish (a vessel) with official documents specifying its ownership, registration, weight, dimensions, and function
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Word Origin
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
Word Origin and History for document
n.
early 15c., "teaching, instruction," from Old French document (13c.) "lesson, written evidence," from Latin documentum "example, proof, lesson," in Medieval Latin "official written instrument," from docere "to show, teach" (see doctor (n.)). Meaning "something written that provides proof or evidence" is from early 18c. Related: Documents.
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v.
1640s, "to teach;" see document (n.). Meaning "to support by documentary evidence" is from 1711. Related: Documented; documenting.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper