# documentation

Pronunciation: US say "dok-yuh-men-TAY-shuhn" /ˌdɑkjəmɛnˈteɪʃən/; say "dok-yuu-men-TAY-shuhn" UK /ˌdɒkjʊmɛnˈteɪʃən/, AUS /ˌdɔkjʊmenˈtæɪʃən/

## Noun

4. A film or television program presenting factual information about real events; a documentary.
   - Simple: A movie or TV show that gives facts about real events.
   - _The festival opened with a documentation about migrating birds._
   - _He produced a documentation covering the war's final months._

## Noun

1. Written evidence and source materials that support a claim or account. *(rare)*
   - Simple: Written proof and records used to support a claim.
   - _Researchers relied on extensive documentation to verify the disputed timeline._
   - _The archive preserves documentation of every transaction from the trading post._
2. Documents that explain how a particular machine or software program operates. *(rare)*
   - Simple: Written guides that explain how a machine or computer program works.
   - _The software shipped with detailed documentation covering installation and troubleshooting._
   - _Engineers consulted the machine's documentation to recalibrate the sensors._
3. Comments within code that explain how individual functions, libraries, and blocks of code are used. *(rare)*
   - Simple: Short notes written inside a program that explain how each part of the code works.
   - _Clear documentation in the source files saved the new developers hours of guesswork._
   - _He wrote documentation for every library function before merging his changes._
5. A thought set down in writing; the written account of an idea. *(rare)*
   - Simple: A thought or idea that has been written down as a record.
   - _The essay became her documentation of an idea she had carried for years._
   - _Turning a fleeting insight into documentation forces you to make it clear._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 5** — This word was formed from 'document' plus the suffix '-ation', or it comes from the Medieval Latin word 'documentatio'.
**Meaning 4** — This sense comes from the German word 'Dokumentation'.

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