# document

Pronunciation: say "DOK-yuu-muhnt" US /ˈdɑkjʊmənt/, UK /ˈdɒkjʊmənt/

## Noun

1. An original or official paper that serves as the basis, proof, or support for something, or any writing conveying such information.
   - Simple: A piece of writing or printed paper that gives proof or official information about something.
   - _The lawyer filed every document needed to prove ownership of the land._
   - _Border officers asked each traveler to present a valid identity document._
3. A computer file that contains text.
   - Simple: A computer file that holds text you can read or change.
   - _She emailed the document as an attachment to her colleague._
   - _The software automatically saves each document every few minutes._
4. Any object that records or conveys information, whatever it is made of and however it carries it, such as an inscribed stone, a photograph or a sound recording.
   - Simple: Anything that holds information and can be kept and studied, such as a carved stone, a photo or a recording.
   - _To historians, any inscribed surface can serve as a document._
   - _To the archaeologist, the carved stone was as valuable a document of the period as any letter written on paper._

## Verb

Pronunciation: say "DOK-yuu-ment" US /ˈdɑkjʊmɛnt/, UK /ˈdɒkjʊmɛnt/

2. To make a record of something, in writing, photographs, video, or another form.
   - Simple: To make a record of something, using words, pictures, or recordings.
   - _Researchers carefully document each change in the patient's condition._
   - _The journalist documented the abuses in a detailed report._
5. To provide a person, claim or thing with the papers or written proof needed to establish facts about it, such as identity papers or cited sources, rather than to make a record of events.
   - Simple: To supply a person or thing with official papers, or support a claim with written evidence.
   - _The historians documented their findings with letters and official records._
   - _Always document your conclusions with reliable evidence._

## Noun

6. Something taught or authoritatively set forth, such as a precept, instruction, or article of dogma. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A teaching or instruction, or a rule or belief stated with authority.
7. An example held up for instruction or as a warning. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An example used to teach a lesson or give a warning.

## Origin

Borrowed from Middle French "document", which comes from Latin "documentum".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/document (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).