redaction
rɪˈdæk.ʃən
noun
Origin
Latin
redigere — to drive back, bring back, or reduce to a state
Overview
Meaning Now
- The act of editing, revising, or censoring text for publication or public release.
- A version of a text that has been edited, especially for legal or security purposes.
Literal older meaning
the act of reducing or bringing back to order
Language path
Latin → Middle French → English
Earliest form
redaction
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The term originated in a literary sense, referring to the act of organizing or 'bringing back' disordered notes into a cohesive document. In the 20th century, particularly with the rise of government secrecy and information privacy laws, the term evolved to specifically describe the act of masking sensitive parts of a document.
Evolution
- Latin
redactus
“brought back, collected”
Past participle of redigere.
- Middle French
rédaction
“the act of editing or drawing up a document”
Developed in a bureaucratic and legal context.
- English
redaction
“the process of editing or obscuring information”
Initially referred to literary editing, later shifted to security censorship.
Connections
Word parts
re-
prefix
back
act-
root
to do, drive
-ion
suffix
process of
Related across languages
French
rédaction
editing; editorial staff
German
Redaktion
editorial department; editing process
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Related to redaction
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.