record

Etymology 1

table From Middle English, borrowed from Old French record, from recorder. See record (verb).

noun

1. An item of information put into a temporary or permanent physical medium.
   He draws eclectically on studies of baboons, descriptive anthropological accounts of hunter-gatherer societies and, in a few cases, the fossil record. 2012 March-April, John T. Jost, “Social Justice: Is It in Our Nature (and Our Future)?”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 2012-02-13, page 162
   The person had a record of the interview so she could review her notes.
   The tourist's photographs and the tape of the police call provide a record of the crime.
2. Any instance of a physical medium on which information was put for the purpose of preserving it and making it available for future reference.
   We have no record of you making this payment to us.
3. Ellipsis of phonograph record.: a disc, usually made from vinyl, on which sound is recorded and may be replayed on a phonograph.
   I still like records better than CDs.
4. (computing) A set of data relating to a single individual or item.
   Pull up the record on John Smith. What's his medical history?
5. (programming) A data structure similar to a struct, in some programming languages such as C and Java based on classes and designed for storing immutable data.
   This chapter examines another data structure, the record (available in Pascal but not in all other high-level languages). Records make it easier to organize and represent information in Pascal, a major reason for the popularity of the Pascal[…] 1989, Elliot B. Koffman, Pascal: Problem Solving and Program Design, Addison-Wesley, page 406
   The new record type provides another solution. A record is a class-like construct for data classes, a restricted form of class like enums and annotations. 2020, Ian F. Darwin, Java Cookbook, O'Reilly Media, page 232
   A record is a special kind of class that's designed to work well with immutable (readonly) data. 2021, Joseph Albahari, C# 9.0 in a Nutshell, O'Reilly Media, page 210
6. The most extreme known value of some variable, particularly that of an achievement in competitive events.
   The heat and humidity were both new records.
   The team set a new record for most points scored in a game.
   "Avanti has literally broken records over the last six months for delays and cancellations, and the Conservatives' answer is to reward failure with millions more in taxpayer cash," said Labour Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh. April 5 2023, “Network News: Conservatives accused of "rewarding Avanti's failure"”, in RAIL, number 980, page 6

adj

1. (attributive) Enough to break previous records and set a new one; world-class; extreme.
   "But it's far worse for me," said Edmund, "because you'll at least have a room of your own and I shall have to share a bedroom with that record stinker, Eustace." 1952, C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Etymology 2

table From Middle English recorden (“to repeat, to report”), borrowed from Old French recorder (“to get by heart”), from Latin recordārī, present active infinitive of recordor (“remember, call to mind”), from re- (“back, again”) + cor (“heart; mind”).

verb

1. (transitive) To make a record of information.
   I wanted to record every detail of what happened, for the benefit of future generations.
   The display and result must be placed in the context that was it was against a side that looked every bit their Fifa world ranking of 141 - but England completed the job with efficiency to record their biggest away win in 19 years. September 7, 2012, Phil McNulty, “Moldova 0-5 England”, in BBC Sport
2. (transitive) To make an audio or video recording of.
   Within a week they had recorded both the song and the video for it.
   However, the ability to record people without their knowledge, with the stroke of a finger over the spectacle frame or a voice command, has prompted privacy concerns. 29 June 2014, Adam Sherwin, “UK cinemas ban Google glasses over piracy risk”, in The Independent
3. (transitive, law) To give legal status to by making an official public record.
   When the deed was recorded, we officially owned the house.
4. (intransitive) To fix in a medium, usually in a tangible medium.
5. (intransitive) To make an audio, video, or multimedia recording.
6. (transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To repeat; to practice.
7. (transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To sing or repeat a tune.
   1595, George Peele, The Old Wives’ Tale, The Malone Society Reprints, 1908, lines 741-742, Come Berecynthia, let vs in likewise, And heare the Nightingale record hir notes.
   They long’d to see the day, to heare the larke 1600, Torquato Tasso, translated by Edward Fairfax, Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem, London: I. Iaggard and M. Lownes, Book 2, p. 39
   […] the Nymph did earnestly contest Whether the Birds or she recorded best […] 1616, William Browne, Britannia’s Pastorals, London: John Haviland, published 1625, Book 2, Song 4, p. 129
8. (obsolete) To reflect; to ponder.