file

It is upon a file with the duke's other letters.

c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:

We'd like to know a little bit about you for our files
We'd like to help you learn to help yourself

1968 April 5, Paul Simon, “Mrs. Robinson”, in Bookends, performed by Simon & Garfunkel:

A collection of papers collated and archived together.

a file of all the gentry

c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

Let me resume the file of my narration.

1642, Henry Wotton, A Short View of the Life and Death of George Villiers:

A course of thought; a thread of narration.

I'm going to delete these unwanted files to free up some disk space.

(computing) An aggregation of data on a storage device, identified by a name.

(computing) The primary item on the menu bar, containing commands such as open, save, print, etc.

Many homes now have double-file kitchens.

A row of modular kitchen units and a countertop, consisting of cabinets and appliances below (dishwasher) and next to (stove/cooker) a countertop.

The Nonfiction Vertical File: […]I spent my university years working in the library at the Maritime School of Social Work. One of my responsibilities was to keep the library's vertical file up to date. The vertical file was a cabinet full of current newspaper and magazine clippings on topics of interest to the students and faculty of the school.

2010, Beth Critchley Charlton, Englaging the DisEngaged, page 71:

→ Armenian: ֆայլ (fayl)

→ Azerbaijani: fayl

→ Belarusian: файл (fajl)

→ Bulgarian: файл (fajl)

→ Bengali: ফাইল (phail)

→ Burmese: ဖိုင် (hpuing)

→ Dutch: file

→ Estonian: fail

→ Finnish: faili

→ German: File

→ Hindi: फ़ाइल (fāil)

→ Hungarian: fájl

→ Italian: file

→ Japanese: ファイル (fairu)

→ Korean: 파일 (pail)

→ Lao: ໄຟລ໌ (fain)

→ Latvian: fails

→ Lithuanian: failas

→ Macedonian: фајл (fajl)

→ Malay: fail

→ Maltese: fajl

→ Oromo: faayila

→ Persian: فایل (fâyl)

→ Portuguese: file

→ Russian: файл (fajl)

→ Kazakh: файл (fail)

→ Kyrgyz: файл (fayl)

→ Mongolian: файл (fajl)

→ Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic script: фајл

Latin script: fajl

→ Slovak: fajl

→ Swahili: faili

→ Tajik: файл (fayl)

→ Thai: ไฟล์ (faai)

→ Turkmen: faýl

→ Ukrainian: файл (fajl)

→ Urdu: فائل (fāil)

→ Uzbek: fayl

→ Welsh: ffeil

From Old French fil (“thread”), from Latin fīlum (“thread”). Doublet of filum.


file

She filed their accounts yesterday.

The episode’s unwillingness to fully commit to the pathos of the Bart-and-Laura subplot is all the more frustrating considering its laugh quota is more than filled by a rollicking B-story that finds Homer, he of the iron stomach and insatiable appetite, filing a lawsuit against The Frying Dutchman when he’s hauled out of the eatery against his will after consuming all of the restaurant’s shrimp (plus two plastic lobsters).

2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club:

(transitive) To commit (official papers) to some office.

I filed my copy soon after the interview.

(transitive) (of a journalist) To submit (an article) to a newspaper or similar publication.

Troves of documents filed away in the depository.

(transitive) To place in an archive in a logical place and order.

(transitive) To store a file (aggregation of data) on a storage medium such as a disc or another computer.

She filed for divorce the next day.

The company filed for bankruptcy when the office opened on Monday.

They filed for a refund under their warranty.

(intransitive, with for, chiefly law) To submit a formal request to some office.

I would have my several courses and my dishes well filed.

1606, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, “The Woman-Hater”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1679, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii:

(transitive, obsolete) To set in order; to arrange, or lay away.

en-verb

file (third-person singular simple present files, present participle filing, simple past and past participle filed)

files (present singular third-person)
filing (participle present)
filed (participle past)
filed (past)


file

The troops marched in Indian file.

A column of people one behind another, whether "single file" or in a grid pattern.

(military) A small detachment of soldiers.

(chess) One of the eight vertical lines of squares on a chessboard (i.e., those identified by a letter).

From French file, from filer (“to spin out, arrange one behind another”), from Latin fīlāre, from filum (“thread”).


file

The applicants kept filing into the room until it was full.


file

A hand tool consisting of a handle to which a block of coarse metal is attached, and used for removing sharp edges or for cutting, especially through metal.

Will is an old file, in spite of his smooth face.

1857–1859, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, The Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1858–1859, →OCLC:

The greatest character among them was that of a Pickpocket, or, in truer language, a File.

1743, Henry Fielding, The Life and Death of Jonathan Wild, the Great:

(slang, archaic) A cunning or resourceful person.

From Middle English file, fyle, from Old English fēl, fēol (“file”), from earlier fīil, from Proto-Germanic *finhlō, *finhilō (“file, rasp”), from Proto-Indo-European *peyḱ- (“to adorn, form”). Cognate with West Frisian file (“file”), Dutch vijl (“file”), German Feile (“file”).


file

I'd better file the bottoms of the table legs. Otherwise they will scratch the flooring.

Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.

1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:

(transitive) To smooth, grind, or cut with a file.


file

I cannot thinke […] So true a bird would file ſo faire a neſt, […]

1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act I:

for Banquo's issue have I fil'd my mind

c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

From Middle English filen (“to defile”), from Old English fȳlan (“to defile, make foul”), from Proto-West Germanic *fūlijan (“to make foul”). More at defile.