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Origin and history of instruction

instruction(n.)

c. 1400, instruccioun, "action or process of teaching," from Old French instruccion (14c., Modern French instruction), from Latin instructionem (nominative instructio) "an array, arrangement," in Late Latin "teaching," from past participle stem of instruere "arrange, prepare, set in order; inform, teach," from in- "on" (from PIE root *en "in") + struere "to pile, build" (from PIE *streu-, extended form of root *stere- "to spread").

Teaching is the general word for the imparting of knowledge .... Instruction has the imparting of knowledge for its object, but emphasizes, more than teaching, the employment of orderly arrangement in the things taught. [Century Dictionary]

Meaning "an authoritative direction telling someone what to do; a document giving such directions," is early 15c. Related: Instructions.

also from c. 1400

Entries linking to instruction

instructional(adj.)

1801, from instruction + -al (1).

macroinstruction(n.)

also macro-instruction, in computing, "a group of programming instructions compressed into a simpler form and appearing as a single instruction," 1959, from macro- + instruction.

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command
c. 1300, "order or direct with authority" (transitive), from Old French comander "to order, enjoin, entrust" (12c., Modern French commander), from Vulgar Latin *commandare, from Latin commendare "to recommend, entrust to" (see commend); altered by influence of Latin mandare "to c
direction
late 14c., direccioun, "action of directing or guiding," from Latin directionem (nominative directio) "a making straight, a straight line, a directing (toward something)," noun of action from past-participle stem of dirigere "to set straight, arrange; give a particular direction
education
1530s, "child-rearing," also "the training of animals," from French education (14c.) and directly from Latin educationem (nominative educatio) "a rearing, training," noun of action from past-participle stem of educare (see educate). Originally of instruction in social codes and m
discipline
physical punishment; teaching; suffering; martyrdom" (11c., Modern French discipline) and directly from Latin disciplina "instruction...given, teaching, learning, knowledge," also "object of instruction, knowledge, science, military discipline," from discipulus...The meaning "treatment that corrects or punishes" is from the notion of "order necessary for instruction."...Meaning "branch of instruction or education" is first recorded late 14c....
tuition
The meaning "money paid for instruction" (1828) probably is short for tuition fees, in which tuition refers to the act of...teaching and instruction (a sense attested from 1580s)....
documentation
1754, "admonition, instruction, teaching," a sense now obsolete, noun of action from document (v.) or else from Medieval...
monition
c. 1400, monicioun, "warning, instruction given by way of caution," from Old French monition (13c.) and directly from Latin...
recipe
1580s, "medical prescription, a formula for the composing of a remedy written by a physician," from French récipé (15c.), from Latin recipe "take!" (this or that ingredient), second person imperative singular of recipere "to hold, contain" (see receive). It was the word written b
pierce
c. 1300 (c. 1200 as a surname), percen, "make a hole in; force one's way through; thrust through with or as with a sharp or pointed instrument," from Anglo-French perser, Old French percier "pierce, transfix, drive through" (12c., Modern French percer), probably from Vulgar Latin
address
early 14c., "to guide, aim, or direct," from Old French adrecier "go straight toward; straighten, set right; point, direct" (13c.), from Vulgar Latin *addirectiare "make straight" (source also of Spanish aderezar, Italian addirizzare), from ad "to" (see ad-) + *directiare "make s

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