full-text
UK[ˌfʊl ˈtɛkst]US[ˌfʊl ˈtɛkst]
adj
(of a database, search, or document) containing or using the complete original text of a piece of writing, rather than a summary, excerpt, or index.
n
The complete text of a written work or document.
Morpheme Breakdown
full
text
full
complete
text
written words
Etymology
The compound "full-text" is a modern formation from two ancient roots. "Full" descends from the Proto-Germanic fullaz, carrying the enduring sense of completeness. "Text" originates from the Latin textus, the past participle of texere (to weave), which metaphorically described the composition of written words into a coherent fabric. In the late 20th century, with the rise of digital information retrieval, these elements were combined to create a technical term. It logically denotes a complete, unedited version of a document, as opposed to an abstract or keywords, preserving the original "woven" entirety of the written work.
Analysis
Structure: full (complete) + text (written words)
full: From Old English full, meaning "complete, entire, abundant." It functions as an adjective modifying the noun to indicate completeness.
text: From Latin textus, meaning "style, texture of a writing," from texere, "to weave." It functions as the core noun, referring to the written content itself.
Examples
The academic database offers a full-text search of thousands of historical journals.
For your research, you should always cite from the full-text of the article, not just the abstract.
The library's new digital archive provides full-text access to all published proceedings.