log

The word 'log' has a robustly physical origin, likely entering Middle English from Old Norse, where 'lág' referred to a felled tree. This concrete sense of a bulky piece of timber remains its core meaning. The semantic journey to its abstract verbal meaning, "to record," is a fascinating example of metaphorical extension. It originates from the 18th-century nautical practice of recording a ship's speed by throwing a wooden "log" attached to a line overboard; the data recorded in the ship's book thus became the "log-book," which was eventually shortened back to "log." This evolution perfectly illustrates how a tangible object gave its name to the systematic process of documentation.

The word 'log' is a simplex word of uncertain origin, likely from Old Norse 'lág' (a felled tree) or related to Middle English 'logge'. It functions as a complete lexical unit.