Word Timeline
| Latin | Old French | Middle French | Early Modern English | 18th‑century English | Modern English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1st century BCE | c. 1400s | c. 1500s | c. 1520s | c. 1730s | c. 1910s‑present |
| resumere | résumer | résumé | resume (verb) | resume (noun) | resume / résumé |
| to take up again | to sum up, to summarize | a summary, abstract | to begin again after a pause | a brief abstract of a larger work | a concise CV for job applications |
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The Full Story
In medieval France, scholars and clerks began using the verb résumer to indicate the act of “summing up” a longer discourse. A surviving 1545 letter from the French humanist Étienne de La Boétie reads, “Je vous envoie le résumé de mes pensées,” showing the noun form “résumé” already meant a concise summary. The term traveled to England with Norman influence, appearing as “resume” (verb) in English legal and literary texts by the early 1500s.
The noun sense, however, took a different path. By the 18th century, English writers employed “resume” to denote a brief abstract of a longer work, mirroring the French usage. It was not until the early 20th century, amid the rise of modern bureaucracy and the professionalization of job seeking, that “résumé” (often spelled with accent marks) was adopted in the United States to describe a personal career summary. The first printed example appears in a 1915 issue of the American “Industrial Magazine,” which advises job seekers to “prepare a concise résumé of qualifications.”
Today, “resume” (or “résumé”) is a staple of the employment process worldwide, while the verb “to resume” – “to begin again after a pause” – continues to live side by side, a reminder of its Latin roots. Both senses share a common ancestor in Latin “resumere,” yet they have diverged dramatically in modern usage.
Semantic Shift
Originally, the Latin “resumere” meant “to take up again,” a literal combination of the prefix “re‑” (again) and “sumere” (to take). In Old French, this became “résumer,” first used for the act of summarizing a text. The noun “résumé” therefore meant “a taken‑up summary.” When the verb entered English, it retained the sense of “to begin again,” as in “to resume the meeting.”
The modern noun “resume” (the job‑seeker’s document) is a semantic leap: a brief written “taking up” of one’s professional life, presented in a condensed form. This shift from “summary of a text” to “summary of a career” illustrates how the core idea of “condensing” persisted, while the specific referent changed to suit new social practices in the 20th century workplace.
Word Family
Other words connected through the same etymological root.
| Word | Root Connection | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| assume | Root connection shares Latin root *sumere* ‘to take’ | Meaning to take on responsibility or belief |
| presume | Root connection prefix *pre‑* + *sumere* ‘to take ahead’ | Meaning to take for granted |
| consume | Root connection prefix *con‑* + *sumere* ‘to take together’ | Meaning to use up or ingest |
| subsume | Root connection prefix *sub‑* + *sumere* ‘to take under’ | Meaning to include or incorporate |
| resume | Root connection direct descendant of Latin *resumere* ‘to take up again’ | Meaning verb: to begin again; noun: a job‑application summary |
| consummate | Root connection prefix *con‑* + *sumere* ‘to take together’ (later ‘to bring to completion’) | Meaning to complete or perfect |
| summarize | Root connection from Latin *summus* ‘highest’ + *-ize*; related concept of taking the highest points | Meaning to give a brief statement of main points |
| resume (noun, French) | Root connection shares the same Old French formation | Meaning a written summary or abstract |
Did You Know?
The verb “resume” (to begin again) entered English from Latin “resumere” centuries before the résumé (job‑application document) became common, so the two senses developed independently.
In French, the accent on the “é” in résumé distinguishes the noun (summary) from the verb “résumer”; English dropped the accent, leading to the spelling ambiguity we see today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'resume' literally mean?
Literally, the Latin verb ‘resumere’ means ‘to take up again.’ In French it became ‘résumer,’ meaning ‘to summarize,’ and the noun ‘résumé’ meant ‘a condensed summary.’
What language did 'resume' come from?
The word entered English from Old French ‘résumé,’ which itself was derived from the Latin verb ‘resumere.’ The French form appeared in the 16th century.
When was 'resume' first used in English?
The verb ‘resume’ appears in English texts from the early 1500s, while the noun meaning ‘summary’ shows up in the 1730s. The modern job‑application sense emerged in the United States around the 1910s.
Is 'resume' related to the word 'resume' meaning a job‑application document?
Yes—the job‑application document derives from the French noun ‘résumé’ (summary). It is unrelated to the verb ‘resume’ (to begin again) except that both share the same Latin root ‘resumere.’
How has the meaning of 'resume' changed over time?
Initially, ‘resume’ meant ‘to take up again’ (Latin) and later ‘to summarize’ (French). In English it kept the verb sense, while the noun evolved from ‘summary of a text’ to the modern ‘concise CV for job seekers.’
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