English word origin

Etymology of ident

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

adj

Diligent; persistent.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From a later form of ithand, itself an alteration (due to assimilation to suffix -and) of Middle English ithen, from Old Norse iðinn (“assiduous, diligent”), from iðja, iðna (“to do, perform”), from ið (“a restless motion”), equivalent to ithe + -and and/or ithe + -en. Cognate with Icelandic iðinn (“diligent”), Norwegian idig (“busy”), Danish id (“pursuit, calling, business”). More at ithand.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionithenenm
Derivation mentioniðinnnon
Cognate mentioniðinnis
Cognate mentionidigno
Cognate mentionidda

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "ithen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ithen"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "iðinn",
        "4": "",
        "5": "assiduous, diligent"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse iðinn (“assiduous, diligent”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ithe",
        "3": "and",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "ithe + -and"
    },
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ithe",
        "3": "en",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "ithe + -en"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "iðinn",
        "3": "",
        "4": "diligent"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic iðinn (“diligent”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "idig",
        "3": "",
        "4": "busy"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian idig (“busy”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "id",
        "3": "",
        "4": "pursuit, calling, business"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish id (“pursuit, calling, business”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ithand",
      "ithand#English"
    ],
    [
      "-and",
      "-and#English"
    ],
    [
      "ithen",
      "ithen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "iðinn",
      "iðinn#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "iðja",
      "iðja#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "iðna",
      "iðna#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "ið",
      "ið#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "ithe",
      "ithe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-and",
      "-and#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ithe",
      "ithe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-en",
      "-en#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "iðinn",
      "iðinn#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "idig",
      "idig#Norwegian"
    ],
    [
      "id",
      "id#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "ithand",
      "ithand#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Diligent; persistent."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

An identification. · A brief audio or audiovisual sequence serving to identify the broadcaster. · A protocol serving to identify the user of a particular TCP connection, used especially on IRC networks. · An identifier.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

A shortened form of identification.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "identification",
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An identification.",
        "A brief audio or audiovisual sequence serving to identify the broadcaster.",
        "A protocol serving to identify the user of a particular TCP connection, used especially on IRC networks.",
        "An identifier."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

verb

To activate the aircraft transponder identification feature.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

A shortened form of identify.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "identify",
      "identify#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To activate the aircraft transponder identification feature."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ident →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-aWRlbnQ