Instrumentum

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tool or implement used to perform a specific task or achieve a particular result
2. An object designed to aid in the execution of work or measurement
3. A mechanism or device that serves a functional purpose in various fields such as art, science, or music

Etymology: In Roman farm writing, "instrumentum" covered far more than hand tools. The agricultural writer Varro sorted an estate's equipment into three kinds: talking tools, meaning enslaved workers; half-talking tools, meaning oxen; and mute tools, meaning ploughs and carts. People were filed alongside the wagons. The word comes from "instruere," meaning to arrange, equip or build, which is itself formed from "in" and "struere," to pile up. Roman legal usage also gave it the sense of a written document, a record that set out the terms of an agreement. Tools and documents thus share the idea of things being put in order.

Synonyms: tool, device, apparatus, implement, utensil