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file¹

(fīl)

1. A container, such as a cabinet or folder, for keeping papers in order.

2. A collection of papers or published materials kept or arranged in convenient order.

3. Computers A collection of data or program records stored as a unit with a single name.

a. A line of persons, animals, or things positioned one behind the other.

b. A line of troops or military vehicles so positioned.

5. Games Any of the rows of squares that run forward and backward between players on a playing board in chess or checkers.

6. Archaic A list or roll.

v. filed, fil·ing, files

v.tr.

1. To put or keep (papers, for example) in useful order for storage or reference.

2. To enter (a legal document) as an official record.

3. To send or submit (copy) to a newspaper.

4. To initiate (a lawsuit): file a complaint; file charges.

v.intr.

1. To march or walk in a line.

2. To put items in a file.

3. To make application; apply: filed for a job with the state; file for a divorce.

4. To enter one's name in a political contest: filed for Congress.

Idiom:

on file

In or as if in a file for easy reference: We will keep your résumé on file.

[From Middle English filen, to put documents on file, from Old French filer, to spin thread, to put documents on a thread, from Late Latin fīlāre, to spin, draw out in a long line, from Latin fīlum, thread; see g^whī- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

file²

(fīl)

1. Any of several hardened steel tools with cutting ridges for forming, smoothing, or reducing especially metallic surfaces.

2. A nail file.

3. Chiefly British A crafty or artful person.

tr.v. filed, fil·ing, files

To smooth, reduce, or remove with or as if with a file.

[Middle English, from Old English fīl; see peig- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

(click for a larger image)

file2

left to right: double-cut flat file, single-cut round file, and single-cut half-round file

file³

(fīl)

tr.v. filed, fil·ing, files
Archaic

To sully or defile.

[Middle English filen, from Old English fȳlan; see p- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

fi·lé

(fēlā, fĭ-lā)

Powdered sassafras leaves used to thicken and season soups, stews, and gumbos.

[Louisiana French, from French, past participle of filer, to spin thread (from its effect when added to hot liquids), from Old French; see FILE¹.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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