log

[ lawg, log ]

/ lɔg, lɒg /

noun

a portion or length of the trunk or of a large limb of a felled tree.

something inert, heavy, or not sentient.

Nautical. any of various devices for determining the speed of a ship, as a chip log or patent log.

any of various records, made in rough or finished form, concerning a trip made by a ship or aircraft and dealing with particulars of navigation, weather, engine performance, discipline, and other pertinent details; logbook.

Movies. an account describing or denoting each shot as it is taken, written down during production and referred to in editing the film.

a register of the operation of a machine.

Also called well log. a record kept during the drilling of a well, especially of the geological formations penetrated.

Computers. any of various chronological records made concerning the use of a computer system, the changes made to data, etc.

Radio and Television. a written account of everything transmitted by a station or network.

Also called log of wood. Australian Slang. a lazy, dull-witted person; fool.

verb (used with object), logged, log·ging.

to cut (trees) into logs: to log pine trees for fuel.

to cut down the trees or timber on (land): We logged the entire area in a week.

to enter in a log; compile; amass; keep a record of: to log a day's events.

to make (a certain speed), as a ship or airplane: We are logging 18 knots.

to travel for (a certain distance or a certain amount of time), according to the record of a log: We logged 30 miles the first day. He has logged 10,000 hours flying time.

verb (used without object), logged, log·ging.

to cut down trees and get out logs from the forest for timber: to log for a living.

Verb Phrases

Also log on, sign on.Computers. to enter identifying data, as a username or password, into a database, mobile device, or computer, especially a multiuser computer or a remote or networked system, so as to to access and use it: Log in to start your work session. Log in to your account to pay your bill online.
to enter or include any item of information or data in a record, account, etc.

log off/out, Computers. to terminate a session.

Origin of log

1350–1400; Middle English logge, variant of lugge pole, limb of tree; compare obsolete logget pole; see lugsail, logbook

OTHER WORDS FROM log

log·gish, adjective un·logged, adjective

Words nearby log

loft building, lofting, lofting iron, loftsman, lofty, log, log chip, log in, log jam, log line, log of wood

Definition for log in (2 of 2)

[ noun lawg-in, log-; verb lawg-in, log- ]

/ noun ˈlɔgˌɪn, ˈlɒg-; verb ˌlɔgˈɪn, ˌlɒg- /

Digital Technology

noun Also log-in, logon.

the act of logging in to a database, mobile device, or computer, especially a multiuser computer or a remote or networked computer system.

a username and password that allows a person to log in to a computer system, network, mobile device, or user account.

verb (used without object)

to log in: Login with your new password. See log¹(def 17).

usage note for login

Many who are neither professionals in the computer field nor amateur tech enthusiasts condemn the use of the solid form login as a verb, and with reason. It doesn’t behave like a normal verb. You cannot say you have loginned, and you are never in the process of loginning. Moreover, you cannot even ask someone to login you; you must ask that person to log you in. Clearly, it is the two-word phrase log in that functions fully as an English verb and not the solid form. Normally, we would expect log in, the verb phrase and login, the noun to behave in the same way as similar pairs: blow out/blowout, crack down/crackdown, hang up/hangup, splash down/splashdown, turn off/turnoff, where the two-word phrase is a verb and the one-word form a noun.
And yet, this gluing together of terms like login, logon, backup, and setup as verbs is common, especially in writing about computers. Not for everyone, however. Some well-known software companies, for example, carefully maintain the distinction in their programs and documentation.
But habits are difficult to change. Those who react to the one-word verb as an error will probably have to get used to it, and those who use the one-word verb will have to recognize that others will see it and wince.

British Dictionary definitions for log in (1 of 3)

/ computing /

verb

Also: log on to enter (an identification number, password, etc) from a remote terminal to gain access to a multiaccess system

noun

Also: login the process by which a computer user logs in

British Dictionary definitions for log in (2 of 3)

log ¹

/ (lɒɡ) /

noun

a section of the trunk or a main branch of a tree, when stripped of branches
(modifier) constructed out of logsa log cabin

a detailed record of a voyage of a ship or aircraft
a record of the hours flown by pilots and aircrews
a book in which these records are made; logbook

a written record of information about transmissions kept by radio stations, amateur radio operators, etc

a device consisting of a float with an attached line, formerly used to measure the speed of a shipSee also chip log
heave the log to determine a ship's speed with such a device

Australian a claim for better pay and conditions presented by a trade union to an employer

like a log without stirring or being disturbed (in the phrase sleep like a log)

verb logs, logging or logged

(tr) to fell the trees of (a forest, area, etc) for timber

(tr) to saw logs from (trees)

(intr) to work at the felling of timber

(tr) to enter (a distance, event, etc) in a logbook or log

(tr) to record the punishment received by (a sailor) in a logbook

(tr) to travel (a specified distance or time) or move at (a specified speed)

Word Origin for log

C14: origin obscure

British Dictionary definitions for log in (3 of 3)

log ²

/ (lɒɡ) /

noun

short for logarithm

Scientific definitions for log in

log

[ lôg ]

A logarithm.

Idioms and Phrases with log in (1 of 2)

Also, log on. Enter into a computer the information needed to begin a session, as in I logged in at two o'clock, or There's no record of your logging on today. These expressions refer especially to large systems shared by numerous individuals, who need to enter a username or password before executing a program. The antonyms are log off and log out, meaning “to end a computer session.” All these expressions derive from the use of log in the nautical sense of entering information about a ship in a journal called a log book. [c. 1960]

Idioms and Phrases with log in (2 of 2)

log

In addition to the idiom beginning with log

also see:

easy as pie (rolling off a log)
like a bump on a log
sleep like a log

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

log

noun

verb (used with object), logged, log·ging.