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

Interest in Epstein's relationships with powerful figures was renewed this week after the release of more than 20,000 pages of documents from his estate.

Read more on BBC

The agency requested a never-ending stream of documents yet responded slowly.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But the latter drew their “moral force from the documented legacy of evil, a historical wound that was milked for power in the decades that followed.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Congress released a cache of documents this week that were recently turned over by Epstein’s estate.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The data gathered will support future efforts to document calving events and better understand the rapid decline of ice sheets.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

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