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Origin and history of yearbook

yearbook(n.)

also year-book, 1580s, "book of reports of cases in law-courts for that year," from year + book (n.). The meaning "book listing events and statistics of the previous year" is recorded from 1710. As a book giving dates of festivals, etc., in the coming year, by 1829. The sense of "graduating class album" is attested by 1926, American English.

also from 1580s

Entries linking to yearbook

book(n.)

Middle English bok, from Old English boc "book, writing, written document," generally referred (despite phonetic difficulties) to Proto-Germanic *bōk(ō)-, from *bokiz "beech" (source also of German Buch "book" Buche "beech;" see beech), the notion being of beechwood tablets on which runes were inscribed; but it may be from the tree itself (people still carve initials in them).

Latin and Sanskrit also have words for "writing" that are based on tree names ("birch" and "ash," respectively). And compare French livre "book," from Latin librum, originally "the inner bark of trees" (see library).

The sense gradually narrowed by early Middle English to "a written work covering many pages fastened together and bound," also "a literary composition" in any form, of however many volumes. Later also "bound pages," whether written on or not. In 19c. it also could mean "a magazine;" in 20c., a telephone directory.

The use of books or written charters was introduced in Anglo-Saxon times by the ecclesiastics, as affording more permanent and satisfactory evidence of a grant or conveyance of land than the symbolical or actual delivery of possession before witnesses, which was the method then in vogue. [Century Dictionary]

From c. 1200 as "a main subdivision of a larger work." The meaning "libretto of an opera" is from 1768. A betting book "record of bets made" is from 1812. The meaning "sum of criminal charges" is from 1926, hence slang phrase throw the book at (1932). Book of Life "the roll of those chosen for eternal life" is from mid-14c. Book of the month is from 1926. To do something by the book "according to the rules" is from 1590s.

year(n.)

"a full round of seasons, the interval between equinoxes, the time occupied by the sun in passage through the zodiac," Middle English yer, from Old English gear (West Saxon), ger (Anglian) "year," from Proto-Germanic *jēr "year," reconstructed to be from PIE root *yer- "year, season," probably [Watkins] originally "that which makes [a complete cycle]," and from verbal root meaning "to do, make."

Also by Middle English as "any space of about 365 days or 12 calendrical months, without regard to starting point. Years as "period of life" is by early 13c.

Germanic cognates include Old Saxon, Old High German jar, Old Norse ar, Danish aar, Old Frisian ger, Dutch jaar, German Jahr, Gothic jer "year." IE cognates outside Germanic include Avestan yare (nominative singular) "year;" Greek hōra "year, season, any part of a year," also "any part of a day, hour;" Old Church Slavonic jaru, Bohemian jaro "spring;" Latin hornus "of this year;" Old Persian dušiyaram "famine," literally "bad year."