film
UK[fɪlm]US[fɪlm]
n
A thin flexible strip of plastic or other material coated with light-sensitive emulsion for exposure in a camera, used to produce photographs or motion pictures.
n
A story or event recorded by a camera as a set of moving images and shown in a cinema or on television; a movie.
n
A thin layer or coating of something.
v
To record on film or make a film of.
Etymology
The word 'film' originates from the Old English 'filmen', meaning a membrane or thin skin. This term is related to the Old English 'fell', meaning skin or hide, and both derive from the Proto-Germanic fellą, which in turn can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root pel- meaning 'skin, hide'. The semantic journey from a physical membrane to its modern meanings is a clear example of metaphorical extension. Initially describing any thin layer, the term was applied in the 19th century to the thin coating of photosensitive chemicals on a glass plate or celluloid strip. This technological application then gave its name to the medium itself, and by further metonymy, to the motion pictures recorded on it.
Analysis
The word 'film' is a simplex word of Old English origin. It is not productively composed of smaller, separable morphemes in modern English.
Examples
She loaded a new roll of film into the vintage camera.
We watched a fascinating documentary film about the deep ocean.
A fine film of dust had settled on all the furniture while they were away.