A written record that is kept regularly, such as a personal diary or a professional log. It can also mean a magazine that publishes academic or specialized articles.
From Old French “journal,” meaning “daily,” from Latin “diurnalis,” from “dies,” meaning “day.” It originally referred to something done or recorded daily, like a daybook. The meaning later widened to various kinds of periodical records and publications.
A journal is, at heart, a “daily” thing—that’s why the root is the same as in “journey” and “diurnal.” Scientific journals are just highly formalized versions of people saying, “Here’s what we observed today.” The idea of daily noticing and recording has grown into the backbone of modern knowledge.
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