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Origin and history of correction

correction(n.)

mid-14c., correccioun, "authority to correct;" late 14c., "action of correcting or chastising, rectification of faults (in character, conduct, etc.) by restraints or punishments," also "a bringing into conformity to a standard, model, or original," from Old French correccion (13c.) "correction, amendment; punishment, rebuke," from Latin correctionem (nominative correctio) "an amendment, improvement," noun of action from past-participle stem of corrigere "to put straight; to reform" (see correct (v.)).

Meaning "an instance of correction, that which is proposed or substituted for what is wrong" is from 1520s. House of correction "place of confinement, intended to be reformatory, for those convicted of minor offenses and not considered as belonging to the professional criminal class" was in an English royal statute from 1575.

also from mid-14c.

Entries linking to correction

correct(v.)

mid-14c., "to set (someone) right by punishing for a fault or error, to discipline;" late 14c., of texts, "to bring into accordance with a standard or original," from Latin correctus, past participle of corrigere "to put straight, attempt to make (a crooked thing) straight, reduce to order, set right;" in transferred use, "to reform, amend," especially of speech or writing, from assimilated form of com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + regere "to lead straight, rule" (from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line," with derivatives meaning "to direct in a straight line," thus "to lead, rule").

Meaning "to remove or counteract the operation of" is from late 14c. Related: Corrected; correcting.

correctional(adj.)

"tending to or intended for correction," 1790; see correction + -al (1) or else from Medieval Latin correctionalis, from past-participle stem of Latin corrigere. 

overcorrection(n.)

also over-correction, "an excessive or too frequent correction," 1828, from over- + correction.

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    rectification
    c. 1400, rectificacioun, "a remedying, healing, improvement;" late 15c., "action of setting someone right in conduct or action, the correction of that which is wrong or erroneous;" from Old French rectificacion (14c.) or directly from Late Latin rectificationem (nominative rectif
    discipline
    c. 1200, "penitential chastisement; punishment for the sake of correction," from Old French descepline "discipline, physical punishment; teaching; suffering; martyrdom" (11c., Modern French discipline) and directly from Latin disciplina "instruction given, teaching, learning, kno
    chasten
    "inflict trouble or pain on for the purpose of correction," 1520s, with -en (1) + the word it replaced, obsolete verb chaste...
    ashlar
    De Vaan regards the Latin spelling axis as a hyper-correction. The stone sense is peculiar to English....
    castigate
    The notion behind the word is "make someone pure by correction or reproof." Compare purge (v.), from purus + agere....
    Muhammad
    by 1896, a correction of Mohammed (1610s), the Arabic masc. proper name, literally "the Praiseworthy," name of the prophet...
    sanhedrim
    The proper form is sanhedrin; the error began as a false correction when the Greek word was taken into Mishanic Hebrew, where...
    redaction
    "act of reducing to order and editing for publication," 1785, from French rédaction "a compiling; a working over, editing; editorial staff" (late 17c.), noun of action or state from past-participle stem of Latin redigere "to drive back, force back; bring back; collect, call in; b
    prod
    1530s, "to poke with a stick," of uncertain origin; possibly [Barnhart, Century Dictionary] a variant of brod, from Middle English brodden "to goad," from Old Norse broddr "shaft, spike" (see brad), or perhaps imitative [OED]. Compare dialectal prog "pointed instrument for poking
    drop
    Middle English drope, from Old English dropa "a small, spherical mass of liquid," from Proto-Germanic *drupon (source also of Old Saxon dropo, Old Norse dropi, Dutch drop, Old High German tropfo, German Tropfen (n.)); see drop (v.). Sense of "minute quantity of anything, least po

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