Applicacioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of putting one thing onto another or bringing a rule into use ; the close, persistent attention given to a subject or task
2. Bringing something to bear on a particular purpose or surface ; the earnest, focused study a person devotes to learning or work
3. Putting a principle or substance to use in practice ; the diligent and steady mental effort directed at a matter of study

Etymology: The Latin verb "applicare" was built from "ad-", meaning "to", and "plicare", meaning "to fold", so its original sense was something like folding one thing against another. From that physical sense came the broader idea of attaching or placing something on something else. The noun "applicatio" grew out of the verb, and it passed into Old French as "application" before English took it up. "Applicacioun" is a Middle English spelling of that noun, showing the word in the form English speakers used before spelling settled into the modern "application." Its meanings in that period included the act of applying something and the directing of one's mind or effort toward a task, which are close to the senses the modern word still carries.