Registry
/ˈrɛdʒɪstri/
Definitions
2 meaningsAn official record or a place where official records are kept.
/ˈrɛdʒɪstri/
A place or system where records are kept.
The birth registry keeps a record of all births in the city.
💡 Simply: Imagine a really big filing cabinet with super important information, like who owns a house or what your computer's settings are. That's a registry! It's like a library for important details.
👶 For kids: A registry is like a special book or computer file where important information is written down and saved.
More Examples
She checked the company's registry to see when she had been hired.
The website keeps a registry of all its users.
How It's Used
"The county registry stores records of property ownership."
"Cancer registries track incidence and prevalence of cancer."
"The Windows registry stores configuration settings."
An official list of names or items.
/ˈrɛdʒɪstri/
An official list of people or things.
The charity maintains a registry of volunteers.
💡 Simply: It's like a list of all the people or things that are officially recognized, like a list of cars that have been properly registered with the government.
👶 For kids: A registry is like a list of all the people or things that are official, like a list of names.
More Examples
She checked the organ donor registry.
The state's firearm registry is controversial.
How It's Used
"The transplant registry helps match patients with donors."
"The vehicle registry keeps track of all registered cars."
Idioms & expressions
check the registry
To look up information in an official record or list.
"I'm going to check the registry to confirm the details of the sale."
From Middle English *registre*, from Old French *registre* (a register, record), from Medieval Latin *registrum*, from Latin *regerere* (to record).
Historically, registries were vital for record-keeping, particularly in governmental and legal contexts. The use has evolved with the advent of technology, but the core function remains.
Memory tip
Think of a place where important documents are 'registered' and kept safe.
Word Origin
"to record"