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

But behind the aquatic-themed roller coasters and dolphin performances was a dark history of documented mistreatment of animals and lingering financial problems.

Read more on BBC

The local resistance committees are activists who coordinate aid and document atrocities in the Sudan conflict.

Read more on Barron's

Then last week, immigration officers were captured on video shoving two journalists to the ground as they tried to document a possible detention.

Read more on BBC

But the U.S. attorney’s office holds much of the evidence and, Bakkedahl said, “They are hard to get an answer out of, they are hard to get documents and records from.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Natural landscapes from all four UK nations will also feature inside the updated documents, including Ben Nevis, the Lake District, Three Cliffs Bay and the Giant's Causeway.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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