Word
documentation
Phoneticsdoc·u·men·ta·tion
US/ˌdɑkjəmɛnˈteɪʃən/
UK/dˌɒkjuːməntˈeɪʃən/
Definitions
01official records or evidence
n. official papers or digital records that prove something is true or provide information about a person or event.
n. the provision or use of documentary evidence to support a claim or record a process.
“You must provide the correct documentation, such as a passport, to apply for the visa.”
“The legal team spent weeks gathering the necessary documentation to substantiate their claims regarding the property's ownership history.”
Usage
Usually uncountable when referring to the general collection of evidence.
02software or hardware manuals
n. the written instructions or help files that explain how to use a computer program or a machine.
n. the set of documents, including manuals and help files, that describe the design, operation, and maintenance of software or hardware.
“The software is powerful, but the documentation is very difficult for beginners to understand.”
“The developers were praised for their comprehensive documentation, which included detailed API references and clear installation tutorials.”
Usage
Often uncountable in a collective sense; can be modified by 'technical' or 'user'.
Synonyms
03code comments
n. notes written inside a computer program to explain how the code works to other programmers.
n. internal comments and annotations within source code that explain the logic and function of specific code blocks.
“Good documentation in your code makes it much easier for your teammates to fix bugs later.”
“The project lead insisted on rigorous documentation within the source files to ensure long-term maintainability of the legacy system.”
Technical
Synonyms
04a documentary film
n. a film or television programme that tells a true story about real people or events.
n. a non-fictional motion picture intended to document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education, or maintaining a historical record.
“The museum showed an old documentation about the lives of coal miners in the 1920s.”
“The archive contains several early examples of documentation that captured the rapid industrialisation of the region through a series of short films.”
Archaic
Teaching tip
This sense is very rare in modern English; students should use the word 'documentary' instead.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters The records also provided detailed documentation of spying operations conducted by undercover agents who posed as activists and surveilled community activities.” “The state's Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra told BBC Tamil that individuals could keep a lar gibbon if they had the permits and documentation required by law.” “Wheatley said removing overseas prisoners was likely to be difficult as many would resist this and a number did not have proper documentation.” “Yaryna Chornohuz told me that her work as a soldier poet was the “documentation of feelings”.” Etymology
From document + -ation or Medieval Latin documentātio.
From German Dokumentation.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/documentation