journal

jour·nal
J8O1U1R1N1A1L1
US/ˈd͡ʒɝnəl/UK/ˈd͡ʒɜːnəl/

noun

A diary or daily record of a person, organization, vessel etc.; daybook.

“The university's biology department subscribes to half a dozen academic journals.”

Very commonScrabble 14

Meanings

journal1

nounjournal (plural journals)

plural journals · alternative obsolete journall

  1. A diary or daily record of a person, organization, vessel etc.; daybook.

    Synonyms: daybook, diary

  2. A newspaper or magazine dealing with a particular subject.

    The university's biology department subscribes to half a dozen academic journals.

  3. accountingA chronological record of payments or receipts.
  4. accountingA general journal.
  5. computingA chronological record of changes made to a database or other system; along with a backup or image copy that allows recovery after a failure or reinstatement to a previous time; a log.
verbjournal (third-person singular simple present journals, present participle (US) journaling or (UK) journalling, simple past and past participle (US) journaled or (UK) journalled)

present singular third person journals · US participle present journaling · UK participle present journalling · US participle past journaled · US past journaled · UK participle past journalled · UK past journalled · alternative obsolete journall

  1. transitiveTo archive or record something.
  2. intransitivetransitiveTo scrapbook.

    Coffee shops-cum-meeting-spots dotted across the city are teeming (Equator, Blue Bottle and Saint Frank). Caffeine-fuelled, lactose-intolerant, macadamia milk latte-drinking young folk are journalling, manifesting, coding, ChatGPT-ing and pitching their ideas.

    2023 February 5, Kathryn Parsons, “Boom times are back in San Francisco’s tech mecca”, in The Sunday Times, archived from the original on 25 Apr 2026
adjectivejournal (not comparable)

alternative obsolete journall

  1. not comparableobsoleteDaily.

    […]his faint ſteedes watred in Ocean deepe, / Whiles from their iournall labours they did reſt[…].

    1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto XI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, page 163

journal2

nounjournal (plural journaux)

plural journaux · alternative obsolete journall

  1. The amount of land that can be worked in a day.

    This estate consists of 33 hectares, 12 of which (i. e., about 43 journaux) are devoted to the vine.

    1899, Charles Cocks, Bordeaux and Its Wines Classed by Order of Merit, 3rd English edition, Feret & Fils, […]; Libraires Associes, […], translation of original by Edouard Feret […], page 704
    3 more examples

    Yet the whole extent of cultured country, or all the fields actually cultivated for the ſupport of the inhabitants, will hardly exceed two millions of journaux (or day’s work); above three millions lie entirely waſte; and 850,000 journaux are covered with ſand.

    1781, “Dictionaire Historique et Géographique de la Province de Bretagne; dédié à la Nation Bretonne; par M. Ogée, Ingenieur-Géographe de cette Province. […]”, in The Critical Review: or, Annals of Literature, volume the fifty-first, London: […] A. Hamilton, […], “Foreign Articles”, pages 465–466

    The extent of these “Métairies” varies according to the number of the family of the métayer, and the nature of the soil, from 65 journaux (52 statute acres) to 30 journaux (24 acres), for the métayer generally endeavours to cultivate the land he holds, without the help of hired servants or labourers. Average land producing rye ought to be worth to the métayer 7 francs (5 s. 7 d.) per journaux (four-fifths of an acre); that producing wheat 25 francs (1 l.) per acre. The only land farmed is meadow land, situated in the lower part of Médoc, called “Bas Médoc,” and a part of the district of Blaye, which is let, at an average, 80 francs (3 l. 4 s.) the journaux (four-fifths of an acre).[…]The best wheat land gives 10 hectolitres per journaux, that is, three quarters and four-sevenths per four-fifths of an acre. The worst three hectolitres (1 quarter per four-fifths of an acre,) or one journal. Rye gives six hectolitres per journaux (2 quarters per four-fifths of an acre). Oats sometimes 25 hectolitres per journaux (8 quarters and 13-14ths, per four-fifths of an acre).

    1836, Report, Commonwealth Shipping Committee, page 46

    ‘The surface of the downs, which form the landes of Bordeaux,’ says he, ‘being equal to 337,000 Bordeaux journaux, of 840 square toises, the amount required to fix the whole of these downs would be 8,000,000 livres. Now, a journal (0·33 hectares) of sand planted with pines, gives an annual return of 15 livres, that of 337,000 journaux would therefore be of 5,055,000 livres.

    1855, “Brick and Marble in the Middle Ages: Notes of a Tour in the North of Italy. By George Edmund Street, […].”, in The Civil Engineer and Architect’s Journal, Incorporated with The Architect, volume XVIII, London: R. Groombridge and Sons, […], “Reviews”, page 343, column 2

journal3

nounjournal (plural journals)

plural journals · alternative obsolete journall

  1. engineeringthe part of a rotating shaft or axle that rests on the bearing
verbjournal (third-person singular simple present journals, present participle (US) journaling or (UK) journalling, simple past and past participle (US) journaled or (UK) journalled)

present singular third person journals · US participle present journaling · UK participle present journalling · US participle past journaled · US past journaled · UK participle past journalled · UK past journalled · alternative obsolete journall

  1. transitiveTo insert (a shaft, an axle, etc.) into a journal bearing.

    The cranks are placed upon posts, rafts, or boats in the stream, and journalled at the water-line, thus keeping one-half of the paddle-surface in action, while the common floating-wheel, or current-wheel, only keeps one[…]

    1884, John Michels, Science, page 606
    2 more examples

    In a harvester binder having a hollow shaft journalled at right angles to the main axle and driving motion from the main driving wheel, a spindle journalled within the hollow shaft and having the needle attached to one of its ends[…]

    1883, The Canadian Magazine of Science and the Industrial Arts, Patent Office Record, page 244

    The combination of two side frames or plates and outer sides and the intermediate frame, a water trough at the short an intermediate frame or plate, an axle journalled in one of said end of said roller and partly along the rear[…]

    1898, Canada. Patent Office, Canadian Patent Office Record, page 871

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA diary or daily record of a person, organization, vessel etc.; daybook.

More synonyms by meaning

nouna daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations

Similar
Broader
writingwritten materialpiece of writing

nouna ledger in which transactions have been recorded as they occurred

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

journal · noun, verb, adjective

  1. Latindiurnālis
  2. Old Frenchjornel“day”
  3. Anglo-Normanjurnal“daily”
  4. Middle Englishjournal
  5. Englishjournal

From Middle English journal, from Anglo-Norman jurnal (“daily”), from Old French jornel (“day”) (whence modern French journal), from Latin diurnālis, from diurnus (“of the day”). Doublet of diurnal and the journal from French.

Full word history & related roots →

journal · noun

  1. Frenchjournal
  2. Englishjournal

From French journal. Doublet of diurnal and the journal from Middle English.

Full word history & related roots →

journal · noun, verb

Unknown, apparently of Scots origin. Perhaps from chirnel, from English kernel (“lump in the flesh”), owing to resemblance in shape.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans dagboek, joernaal
  • dagboekdiary or daily record
  • joernaaldiary or daily record
Ancient Greek ἐφημερίς
  • ἐφημερίς (ephēmerís)diary or daily record
Bulgarian дне́вник, всекидне́вник
  • дне́вник (dnévnik)diary or daily record
  • всекидне́вник (vsekidnévnik)newspaper or magazine
  • журн́ал (žurńal)newspaper or magazine
  • журнал (žurnal)accounting: chronological record of payments
  • счетоводна книга (sčetovodna kniga)accounting: chronological record of payments
  • журнал (žurnal)computing: chronological record of changes
  • шийка на вал (šijka na val)engineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
Catalan diari, diari
  • diaridiary or daily record
  • diarinewspaper or magazine
  • gasetanewspaper or magazine
Chinese Mandarin 日誌 /日志, 報刊 /报刊
  • 日誌 /日志 (rìzhì)diary or daily record
  • 報刊 /报刊 (bàokān)newspaper or magazine
Czech deník
  • deníkdiary or daily record
Danish tidsskrift
  • tidsskriftnewspaper or magazine
Dutch log, logboek
  • logdiary or daily record
  • logboekdiary or daily record
Esperanto taglibro, revuo
  • taglibrodiary or daily record
  • revuonewspaper or magazine
  • ĵurnalonewspaper or magazine
  • gazetonewspaper or magazine
Finnish päiväkirja, diaari
  • päiväkirjadiary or daily record
  • diaaridiary or daily record
  • lokidiary or daily record
  • lokikirjadiary or daily record
  • päivyridiary or daily record
  • erikoisaikakauslehtinewspaper or magazine
  • tiedejulkaisunewspaper or magazine
  • kausijulkaisunewspaper or magazine
  • päiväkirjaaccounting: chronological record of payments
  • kladiaccounting: chronological record of payments
  • lokicomputing: chronological record of changes
  • akselintappiengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
French journal, journal
  • journaldiary or daily record
  • journalnewspaper or magazine
  • revuenewspaper or magazine
  • historiquecomputing: chronological record of changes
  • journalcomputing: chronological record of changes
  • registrecomputing: chronological record of changes
German Tagebuch, Logbuch
  • Tagebuchdiary or daily record
  • Logbuchdiary or daily record
  • Protokolldiary or daily record
  • Memorialdiary or daily record
  • Zeitschriftnewspaper or magazine
  • Journalnewspaper or magazine
  • Anzeigernewspaper or magazine
  • Fachzeitschriftnewspaper or magazine
  • Revuenewspaper or magazine
  • Magazinnewspaper or magazine
  • Zeitungnewspaper or magazine
  • Tageszeitungnewspaper or magazine
  • Zapfenengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
  • Lagerzapfenengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
  • Achsstummelengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
  • Achszapfenengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
  • Wellenstummelengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
  • Achsschenkelengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
  • Drehzapfenengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
  • Kurbelzapfenengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
Greek ημερολόγιο, αρχείο
  • ημερολόγιο (imerológio)diary or daily record
  • αρχείο (archeío)diary or daily record
  • εφημερίδα (efimerída)newspaper or magazine
  • περιοδικό (periodikó)newspaper or magazine
  • έδρανο άξονα (édrano áxona)engineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
Hebrew יומן
  • יומן (yomán)diary or daily record
Hindi पत्रिका, पत्रिका
  • पत्रिका (patrikā)diary or daily record
  • पत्रिका (patrikā)newspaper or magazine
Hungarian napló, folyóirat
  • naplódiary or daily record
  • folyóiratnewspaper or magazine
  • naplócomputing: chronological record of changes
Indonesian jurnal
  • jurnaldiary or daily record
Irish dialann, nuachtán
  • dialanndiary or daily record
  • nuachtánnewspaper or magazine
  • dialanncomputing: chronological record of changes
Italian diario, registro
  • diariodiary or daily record
  • registrodiary or daily record
  • rivistanewspaper or magazine
  • giornalenewspaper or magazine
  • perno d'alberoengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
Japanese 日記, 日誌
  • 日記 (nikki)diary or daily record
  • 日誌 (nisshi)diary or daily record
  • ジャーナル (jānaru)computing: chronological record of changes
Korean 저널
  • 저널 (jeoneol)computing: chronological record of changes
Latin commentārius, ephemeris
  • commentāriusdiary or daily record
  • ephemerisdiary or daily record
  • ephemerisnewspaper or magazine
  • ephemeriscomputing: chronological record of changes
  • ephemerisengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
Malay jurnal, jurnal
  • jurnaldiary or daily record
  • jurnalnewspaper or magazine
  • makalahnewspaper or magazine
Māori tuhitaka, hautaka
  • tuhitakadiary or daily record
  • hautakanewspaper or magazine
Norwegian dagbok, tidsskrift
  • dagbokdiary or daily record
  • tidsskriftnewspaper or magazine
Norwegian Bokmål tidsskrift
  • tidsskriftnewspaper or magazine
Persian ژورنال
  • ژورنال (žurnâl)newspaper or magazine
Polish dziennik, diariusz
  • dziennikdiary or daily record
  • diariuszdiary or daily record
  • czasopismonewspaper or magazine
  • logcomputing: chronological record of changes
  • dziennikcomputing: chronological record of changes
  • rejestr zdarzeńcomputing: chronological record of changes
Portuguese diário, registro
  • diáriodiary or daily record
  • registrodiary or daily record
  • registodiary or daily record
  • periódiconewspaper or magazine
  • registrocomputing: chronological record of changes
  • munhãoengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
Romanian ziar, fus
  • ziarnewspaper or magazine
  • fusengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
Russian дневни́к, судово́й журна́л
  • дневни́к (dnevník)diary or daily record
  • судово́й журна́л (sudovój žurnál)diary or daily record
  • журна́л (žurnál)diary or daily record
  • журна́л (žurnál)newspaper or magazine
  • газе́та (gazéta)newspaper or magazine
  • журна́л (žurnál)computing: chronological record of changes
  • ца́пфа (cápfa)engineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
  • шпи́ндель (špíndelʹ)engineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
Scottish Gaelic leabhar-latha
  • leabhar-lathadiary or daily record
Slovak denník, denník
  • denníkdiary or daily record
  • denníknewspaper or magazine
Spanish bitácora, libreta
  • bitácoradiary or daily record
  • libretadiary or daily record
  • gorrónengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
  • muñónengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
Swahili jarida
  • jaridanewspaper or magazine
Swedish dagbok, journal
  • dagbokdiary or daily record
  • journaldiary or daily record
  • tidskriftnewspaper or magazine
  • dagbokaccounting: chronological record of payments
  • journalaccounting: chronological record of payments
  • axeltappengineering: part of a shaft or axle that rests on bearings
Tagalog diyornal, talaarawan
  • diyornaldiary or daily record
  • talaarawandiary or daily record
Thai อนุทิน, วารสาร
  • อนุทิน (à-nú-tin)diary or daily record
  • วารสาร (waa-rá-sǎan)newspaper or magazine
Turkish günlük, günce
  • günlükdiary or daily record
  • güncediary or daily record
  • jurnaldiary or daily record
  • derginewspaper or magazine
  • güncenewspaper or magazine
  • jurnalnewspaper or magazine
  • mecmuanewspaper or magazine
  • ceridenewspaper or magazine
Ukrainian щоде́нник, журна́л
  • щоде́нник (ščodénnyk)diary or daily record
  • журна́л (žurnál)diary or daily record
  • журна́л (žurnál)newspaper or magazine
  • часопис (časopys)newspaper or magazine
Urdu جریدہ
  • جریدہ (jarida)newspaper or magazine
Vietnamese nhật ký, nhật trình
  • nhật kýdiary or daily record
  • nhật trìnhdiary or daily record
  • nhật báonewspaper or magazine
  • nhật trìnhnewspaper or magazine
Welsh dyddlyfr, newyddiadur
  • dyddlyfrdiary or daily record
  • newyddiadurnewspaper or magazine
Yiddish טאָג־בוך, זשורנאַל
  • טאָג־בוך (tog-bukh)diary or daily record
  • זשורנאַל (zhurnal)newspaper or magazine

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with journal

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

journal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/journal

MLA

“journal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/journal. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “journal,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/journal.

Source: journal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.