Log

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /lɒɡ/

Definitions

1. A section of a tree trunk after being cut down ; a written or digital record of events, activities, or measurements ; the power to which a number is raised in mathematics, especially base-10 or natural logarithms
2. A piece of wood typically used for fuel or construction ; an official or informal documentation of occurrences or information over time ; the inverse mathematical function relating multiplication to addition by means of an exponent
3. A solid, cylindrical part of a felled tree ; an organized account or journal of actions and facts ; a function calculating the exponent for a number in logarithmic relations

Etymology: The noun "log" for a section of felled tree trunk is probably of Scandinavian origin. Its likely ancestor is Old Norse "lág", meaning "felled tree" or "log", which may have come from the same root as a verb meaning "to fell" or "to lay down". Norwegian "låg" ("fallen tree") and Dutch "loog" ("wood, timber") appear to be related, which suggests a shared word for timber that once referred to something that had been brought down. English may have taken it directly from Norse, or possibly through the Norwegian timber trade, though the vowel lengths in the two languages do not match neatly, so the exact route is uncertain. The nautical sense is far more striking. Sailors used a wooden float tied to a knotted line, called a "chip log", to measure a ship's speed. Each knot marked a distance, and the log was thrown overboard and the knots counted as they ran out. The record of the ship's progress was kept in a logbook, and that name, from "log" plus "book", gave rise to the modern sense of a written record of events, whether on a ship, a flight, or a computer.

Synonyms: record, register, journal, chronicle, entry