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Origin and history of documentary

documentary(adj.)

1788, "pertaining to or derived from documents," from document (n.) + -ary. Meaning "factual, meant to provide a record of something" is by 1921, originally in reference to film, from French film documentaire (by 1919). The noun (short for documentary film) is attested by 1935.

also from 1788

Entries linking to documentary

document(n.)

early 15c., "a doctrine;" late 15c., "teaching, instruction" (senses now obsolete), from Old French document (13c.) "lesson, written evidence" and directly from Latin documentum "example, proof, lesson," in Medieval Latin "official written instrument, authoritative paper," from docere "to show, teach, cause to know," originally "make to appear right," causative of decere "be seemly, fitting," from PIE root *dek- "to take, accept."

Meaning "written or printed paper that provides proof or evidence" is from early 18c., hence "anything bearing legible writing or inscription." Related: Documents.

docudrama(n.)

"television drama based on real events," by 1957, American English, from documentary + drama. The first so-called appears to have been written as a stage play, "We Call to Mind," a "dramatic presentation of the development of education and its significance in American life," written by Philip C. Lewis and produced by the Tenafly, New Jersey, Citizens Education Council and the Tenafly Drama Workshop after the defeat of a school budget.

-ary

adjective and noun word-forming element, in most cases from Latin -arius, -aria, -arium "connected with, pertaining to; the man engaged in," from PIE relational adjective suffix *-yo- "of or belonging to."

The neuter of the adjectives in Latin also were often used as nouns (solarium "sundial," vivarium, honorarium, cucumerarium "a cucumber field," etc.). It appears in words borrowed from Latin in Middle English. In later borrowings from Latin to French, it became -aire and passed into Middle English as -arie, subsequently -ary.

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    documentation
    Meaning "preparation or use of documentary evidence" is by 1888....
    film
    Old English filmen "membrane, thin skin, foreskin," from West Germanic *filminjan (source also of Old Frisian filmene "skin," Old English fell "hide"), extended from Proto-Germanic *fello(m) "animal hide," from PIE root *pel- (3) "skin, hide." Sense of "a thin coat of something"
    picture
    early 15c., pictur, pictoure, pittour, pectur, "the process or art of drawing or painting," a sense now obsolete; also "a visual or graphic representation of a person, scene, object, etc.," from Latin pictura "painting," from pictus, past participle of pingere "to make pictures,
    offspring
    Old English ofspring "children or young collectively, descendants," literally "those who spring off (someone)," from of "away, away from" (see off (prep.)) + springan "to spring" (see spring (v.)). Similar formation in Old Norse afspringr. The figurative sense "that which is prod
    Caesar
    "an emperor, a ruler, a dictator," late 14c., cesar, from Cæsar, originally a surname of the Julian gens in Rome, elevated to a title after Caius Julius Caesar (100 B.C.E.-44 B.C.E.) became dictator; it was used as a title of emperors down to Hadrian (138 C.E.). The name is of un
    Jesus
    personal name of the Christian Savior, late 12c.; it is the Greek form of Joshua, used variously in translations of the Bible. From Late Latin Iesus (properly pronounced as three syllables), from Greek Iesous, which is an attempt to render into Greek the Aramaic (Semitic) proper
    waffle
    "kind of batter-cake, baked crisp in irons and served hot," 1744, from Dutch wafel "waffle," from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German wafel, from Proto-Germanic *wabila- "web, honeycomb" (source also of Old High German waba "honeycomb," German Wabe), related to Old High German weba
    Israel
    Old English Israel, "the Jewish people, the Hebrew nation," from Latin Israel, from Greek, from Hebrew yisra'el "he that striveth with God" (Genesis xxxii.28), symbolic proper name conferred on Jacob and extended to his descendants, from sara "he fought, contended" + El "God." As
    slander
    late 13c., sclaundre, "state of impaired reputation; disgrace or dishonor;" c. 1300, "a false tale or report spread maliciously; the fabrication and dissemination of false tales to discredit someone," from Anglo-French esclaundre, Old French esclandre "scandalous statement," alte
    surrogate
    early 15c., "a substitute, person appointed or deputed by authority to act for another," from Latin surrogatus, past participle of surrogare/subrogare "put in another's place, substitute." This is from an assimilated form of sub "in the place of, under" (see sub-) + rogare "to as

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