Descripcioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling of a written or spoken account that sets out the features, qualities or appearance of a person or thing
2. An older form of the word for a detailed account listing the characteristics or appearance of something
3. A medieval spelling meaning a verbal or written portrayal that conveys the particular features of a person, place or object

Etymology: "Descripcioun" is a Middle English spelling of "description," and the spelling itself tells the story. Middle English writers borrowed the word from Old French "description," which came from Latin "descriptio," a noun built from "describere," meaning "to write down" or "to copy out," with "de-" (down) and "scribere" (to write). The Latin word originally carried the sense of marking out or tracing a plan, and English took the word in the 14th century, when the "-tio" ending and its French "-cion" form were both in use. The spelling "-cioun" reflects Anglo-Norman and Old French pronunciation habits, where the "ci" was pronounced as a "s" or "sh" sound and the diphthong "ou" had become a common vowel in English spelling of that period. Scribes spelled the word in many ways before standard spelling emerged in the 1600s, so this form is simply one of many variants.