OpenEtymology

editorial

UKˌed.ɪˈtɔː.ri.əlUSˌed.əˈtɔːr.i.əl

Meaning

1adj

relating to the commissioning or preparing of material for publication.

2adj

(of an article in a newspaper or magazine, or on a website) expressing the opinions of the editor or publisher.

3n

a newspaper article expressing the editor's opinion on a topical issue.

Structure

word structure
1
edit
to give out, put forth, publish
+
2
or
+
3
ial
relating to, characterized by

Usage

she made several editorial changes to improve the manuscript's clarity.

the newspaper's editorial board strongly endorsed the new policy.

he wrote a powerful editorial criticizing the government's handling of the crisis.

Etymology

the word 'editorial' is a modern english formation built upon the latin root 'edere', which meant 'to bring forth, produce, publish'. the agent noun 'editor' (one who brings forth/publishes) was created by adding the latin suffix '-or'. subsequently, the adjectival suffix '-ial', also of latin origin, was appended to 'editor' to form 'editorial', literally meaning 'relating to an editor'. this etymological path reflects the word's evolution from the concrete act of publishing to the specific domain of an editor's work and, by further specialization, to the opinion piece that represents the official voice of the publication's editors.

Analysis

Structure
edit + or + ial=editto give out, put forth, publish+or+ialrelating to, characterized by

edit: from latin 'editus', past participle of 'edere' meaning 'to give out, put forth, publish'. functions as the core verb root. or: from latin '-or', a suffix forming agent nouns (one who does an action). functions as a noun-forming suffix. ial: from latin '-ialis', an adjectival suffix meaning 'relating to, characterized by'. functions as an adjective-forming suffix.

Editorial Etymology, Origin & Meaning | wordDNA