Report

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈpɔːt/

Definitions

1. A formal account or statement describing in detail an event, situation, or findings from research or investigation
2. A document or announcement that provides information regarding specific events, outcomes, or analyses stemming from various studies or inquiries
3. A written or spoken description intended to convey the details of findings, occurrences, or ongoing situations

Etymology: The most striking thing about "report" is how far it has traveled from its original sense. In Latin, "reportāre" meant "to carry back" or "to bring back," as when a messenger returned with news or goods. The idea of carrying something back gradually shifted toward carrying back an account of events, so that to report came to mean to bring word back to someone about what had happened. The word passed into Middle English as "reporten" through Anglo-Norman "reporter," the French-influenced language of England's ruling and legal classes. It was built from "re-," meaning "back" or "again," and "portāre," "to carry," the same root that gives English "port," "transport," and "portable." The verb's connection to carrying is still visible in its prefix, which tells us the core idea is returning something. The noun, meaning a detailed account or statement of information, grew naturally from the verb: a report is the thing that has been carried back. Few readers would guess that a formal document or news bulletin descends from a messenger hurrying home with a bundle.

Synonyms: account, statement, narrative

Antonyms: concealment