entry

The word 'entry' traces a direct path from the Latin concept of 'going into'. The core verb 'intrare' (to enter) gave rise to the noun 'intrata' (an entrance), which was adopted into Old French as 'entree'. Entering English in the 13th century, it initially preserved the concrete sense of an "act of entering" or a "place of entrance." Over time, its meaning expanded metaphorically to include the act of joining an organization, the right to participate, and finally, the recording of an item into a list or ledger, all connected by the fundamental idea of initiation or inclusion into a new space or system.

The word 'entry' is a simplex form derived from a single root. It is an Anglo-Norman and Middle English borrowing from Old French 'entree', meaning "act of entering". The Old French term itself originates from the Latin feminine past participle 'intrata', from the verb 'intrare' (to enter), which is based on 'intro' (within, inside).