What is a common meaning of the word 'document'?

• A. To record something on paper or in digital format
• B. To provide written evidence
• C. A legal document
• D. To delete information

Answer: (A)

To document something means to create a record of it in a way that can be read and kept for the future, either on paper or in digital form. This is the most general and common use of the word: you document observations, steps, findings, or facts so they’re preserved and easy to refer back to. For example, scientists document procedures and results in a lab notebook, and a project team documents decisions and changes in a shared file. This sense focuses on the act of recording information.

The other ideas are narrower or opposite. Providing written evidence describes a purpose or outcome of documentation, not the broad act itself. A legal document refers to a specific type of document, not the general meaning of documenting. Deleting information is the opposite of recording.