A Journal Was Meant to Be Written Daily
A journal is a diary or a periodical. The word comes from the French for daily, and so does journey.
A journal is a personal record kept over time, or a periodical publishing serious articles. The root is French *jour*, day, from Latin *diurnalis* — a journal is by origin a daily thing. Its cousin *journey* once meant a day's travel, which is a useful reminder of how far people expected to get.
- A personal record of events. *She kept a journal for forty years.*
- An academic or professional periodical. *A medical journal.*
- A daily record in accounting. *The purchase journal.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | journal | A leather journal. |
| Plural | journals | Peer-reviewed journals. |
| Verb | journal | She journals each night. |
| Person | journalist | A freelance journalist. |
| Noun | journalism | Investigative journalism. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The findings were published in a peer-reviewed journal.Academic sense.
- He keeps a journal of every trip.Personal record.
- Journaling is recommended by some therapists.A newer verb, still informal to some readers.
Journal, diary and log
- Diary — dated entries, often personal
- Journal — the same, or a periodical publication
- Log — a systematic record, often of a voyage or a system
- Ledger — the summarised accounting record
- Chronicle — a historical record in order of time
From Old French *jornel*, a day or a day's work, from Latin *diurnalis*, daily, from *dies*, day. The same *dies* gives *diary*, *dial* and *diurnal*.
Journal or diary?
Almost the same for personal writing. Journal also names an academic publication, which diary never does.
Is *journaling* a real word?
Yes, and it is now common in health and self-help writing, though some editors still prefer *keeping a journal*.