Etymology Map
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Blog

3 stages from English to English.

Today it means a regularly updated website written in an informal or conversational style

Where does the word "blog" come from? It comes from English log, passing through American English before entering English (1999).

1
Stage 1 of 3
log
English · 1500s
"ship's record"
sailors measured speed with a wooden log on a knotted line, and recorded it in the 'log-book', giving 'log' as a daily record
2
Stage 2 of 3
weblog
American English · 1997
"web journal"
Jorn Barger coined it in December 1997 for his site Robot Wisdom, a daily log of links from the World Wide Web
3
Stage 3 of 3
blog
American English · 1999
"online journal"
Peter Merholz jokingly split 'weblog' into 'we blog' on his site in 1999, and Blogger launched that August
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Blog’s story begins in English: log meant “ship's record.” Sailors measured speed with a wooden log on a knotted line, and recorded it in the 'log-book', giving 'log' as a daily record. By 1997, the word had taken hold in American English as weblog. Jorn Barger coined it in December 1997 for his site Robot Wisdom, a daily log of links from the World Wide Web. It reached English by 1999 as blog. Peter Merholz jokingly split 'weblog' into 'we blog' on his site in 1999, and Blogger launched that August. Today, blog means a regularly updated website written in an informal or conversational style.