indent etymology

Etymology:

• Old French: endenture, from "dent" (tooth) + "-ure" (action, result)
• Latin: "dens" (tooth)

Meaning:

• A notch or recess cut into a surface, especially at the edge or corner
• A written agreement that is executed in duplicate, with each party keeping one copy that has been cut or serrated to match the other

Origin:

The word "indent" originally referred to the practice of creating notches or teeth on the edges of documents to ensure their authenticity. This was done by cutting the edges of the parchment or paper so that they interlocked in a way that could not be easily duplicated. The matching notches served as a form of security, as they made it impossible to tamper with the document without detection.

Over time, the term "indent" came to be used more generally for any type of notch or recess, as well as for the written agreements that were traditionally executed in this manner.

indent relate terms

• dent

  Etymology The word dent comes from the Old English word dynt which means a blow or

• dent

  Etymology The word dent comes from the Old English word dynt which means a blow or

• indenture

  Etymology The word indenture originates from the Middle English term endenture which

• impress

  Etymology The word impress comes from the Latin verb imprimō meaning to press upon

• arrange

  Etymology Meaning Origin etymology the origin of a word and the

• order

  Etymology From Middle English ordre ordre from Anglo Norman ordre from Old French or

• oblige

  Etymology The word oblige comes from the Latin word obligare which means to bind

• recess

  Etymology The word recess is derived from the Latin word recessus which means a go

• hold

  Etymology Old English healdan Proto West Germanic haldan Proto Germanic haldaną P

• space

  Origin The word space is derived from the Old French word espace which itself comes

• tend

  Etymology The word tend comes from the Middle English word tenden which in turn com