document

[dok-yuh-muhnt, dok-yuh-ment]

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.

3. Digital Technology.,  a computer data file, especially one with formatted text.

   Luckily, I saved my document right before the power went out.

4. 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.

   Synonyms: validate, substantiate, verify, corroborate

3. to support by documentary evidence.

   to document a case.

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

5. Obsolete.,  to instruct.

document

noun

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

3. archaic,  evidence; proof

verb

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

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

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

Other Word Forms

• documentable adjective
• documenter noun
• nondocumented adjective
• redocument verb (used with object)
• well-documented adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of document¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of document¹

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

Example Sentences

While the company disagrees with the jury award, it wasn’t able to post a bond while it appealed, Chief Executive Philip Cotton said in a document filed Sunday.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Then came the daily announcements and receipts documenting scandalous spending outrages, not all of which lived up to their original billing.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will release a document on it shortly after.

Read more on BBC

At a hearing on Sunday, Bolsonaro admitted trying to open his ankle monitor with a soldering iron until he "came to his senses", court documents show.

Read more on BBC

Officials predict in the document that the caseload will grow to more than 100,000 before then, unless there is further action.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• archive 
• certificate 
• diary 
• evidence 
• form 
• paper 
• record 
• report 
• script 
• testimony