The term edit as a noun meaning “correction” is relatively new, dating back only about fifty years! It originated from the verb, which was coined in the late eighteenth century as a back-formation from editor, initially referring to the individual responsible for printing pre-prepared works (later becoming associated with the proofreading process). This term was borrowed in 1649 from Latin editus, derived from the past participle of the verb edere (not to be confused with its homonym meaning “eat”). Breaking it down, it consists of the prefix ex- (“out”; stemming from Proto-Indo-European eghs) and the verb dare, meaning “to give” (from Proto-Indo-European do, also meaning “give”). According to Google NGrams, the frequency of usage of the words edit, editor, and edition has remained relatively consistent since the seventeenth century.
