Magazine
/ˌmæɡəˈziːn/ · noun
A publication issued periodically, or a place for storing ammunition or other supplies.
Magazine comes from the Arabic makhāzin, meaning “storehouses; repositories.” “Magazine” began life far from printing presses, in the world of warehouses and storehouses. Its journey into English runs through Italian, French, and then the explosive needs of gunpowder and military supply before it came to name a periodical full of varied material.
The story of magazine starts with Arabic makhāzin, the plural of makhzan, meaning a storehouse or repository. In the medieval Mediterranean world, goods, arms, and provisions moved along trade and military routes, and this Arabic word traveled with them. From the beginning, the idea was not of reading matter but of a place where things were gathered and kept safely for later use. That sense of a store of resources is the conceptual seed that eventually survived in English.
The word entered European languages through Italian magazzino and then French magasin, both meaning a storehouse or warehouse. In French especially, magasin became familiar as a term for a place where goods were kept, sold, or supplied. English borrowed the word in the 16th century as magazine, first in the sense of a storehouse or supply depot. The spelling changed as the word moved through languages, but the core idea remained the same: a place where valuables are accumulated and held in reserve.
By the 17th century, magazine had taken on a more specific military meaning in English: an arsenal or storage place for gunpowder, ammunition, and weapons. This was a natural extension of the older sense of a stockpile. A magazine was not just any storehouse, but one whose contents might decide the outcome of a siege or battle. From there the term spread to other kinds of containers and reservoirs, including the part of a firearm that holds cartridges. The word still carried the sense of a reserve ready for use.
The modern meaning of magazine as a periodical arose because such publications were imagined as stores of varied material, packed with articles, images, and news for readers to draw from over time. The first famous use in this sense is often associated with Edward Cave’s The Gentleman’s Magazine, launched in 1731. That title helped fix the newer meaning in English, where magazine now refers mainly to a regularly issued publication. Even so, the older senses have never disappeared completely, and the word still remembers its original life as a place of storage.
The journey through time
- ?
makhāzin / makhzan — storehouses; a storehouse or repository
- ?
magazzino — warehouse; storehouse
- ?
magasin — storehouse; warehouse; shop
- 16th century
magazine — storehouse; place where goods or supplies are kept
- 1731
The Gentleman’s Magazine — periodical publication
Did you know?
The print sense of magazine was popularized by The Gentleman’s Magazine, but the word had already been used for military storage long before it meant a journal.
Related words
Sources & further reading
Our etymologies are compiled and edited from established works of historical linguistics and lexicography. To dig deeper into the origin of “Magazine,” these independent reference works are a great next step:
Frequently asked questions
Where does the word “Magazine” come from?
“Magazine” comes from the Arabic makhāzin, meaning “storehouses; repositories.” “Magazine” began life far from printing presses, in the world of warehouses and storehouses. Its journey into English runs through Italian, French, and then the explosive needs of gunpowder and military supply before it came to name a periodical full of varied material.
What does “Magazine” mean?
A publication issued periodically, or a place for storing ammunition or other supplies.
What language does “Magazine” originate from?
Magazine traces back to Arabic, from the root makhāzin (“storehouses; repositories”).
When did “Magazine” first appear?
The earliest form dates to the ? (), when it appeared as “makhāzin / makhzan” — storehouses; a storehouse or repository.
What is an interesting fact about “Magazine”?
The print sense of magazine was popularized by The Gentleman’s Magazine, but the word had already been used for military storage long before it meant a journal.
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