off-the-record

[awf-th uh-rek-erd, of-] /ˈɔf ðəˈrɛk ərd, ˈɒf-/
adjective
1.
not for publication; not to be quoted:
a candidate's off-the-record remarks to reporters.
2.
confidential:
off-the-record information.
Origin
1930-35

record

[v. ri-kawrd; n., adj. rek-erd] /v. rɪˈkɔrd; n., adj. ˈrɛk ərd/
verb (used with object)
1.
to set down in writing or the like, as for the purpose of preserving evidence.
2.
to cause to be set down or registered:
to record one's vote.
3.
to state or indicate:
He recorded his protest, but it was disregarded.
4.
to serve to relate or to tell of:
The document records that the battle took place six years earlier.
5.
to set down or register in some permanent form, as on a seismograph.
6.
to set down, register, or fix by characteristic marks, incisions, magnetism, etc., for the purpose of reproduction by a phonograph or magnetic reproducer.
7.
to make a recording of:
The orchestra recorded the 6th Symphony.
verb (used without object)
8.
to record something; make a record.
noun, record
9.
an act of recording.
10.
the state of being recorded, as in writing.
11.
an account in writing or the like preserving the memory or knowledge of facts or events.
12.
information or knowledge preserved in writing or the like.
13.
a report, list, or aggregate of actions or achievements:
He made a good record in college. The ship has a fine sailing record.
14.
a legally documented history of criminal activity:
They discovered that the suspect had a record.
15.
something or someone serving as a remembrance; memorial:
Keep this souvenir as a record of your visit.
16.
the tracing, marking, or the like, made by a recording instrument.
17.
something on which sound or images have been recorded for subsequent reproduction, as a grooved disk that is played on a phonograph or an optical disk for recording sound (audiodisk) or images (videodisk)
Compare compact disk.
18.
the highest or best rate, amount, etc., ever attained, especially in sports:
to hold the record for home runs; to break the record in the high jump.
19.
Sports. the standing of a team or individual with respect to contests won, lost, and tied.
20.
an official writing intended to be preserved.
21.
Computers. a group of related fields, or a single field, treated as a unit and comprising part of a file or data set, for purposes of input, processing, output, or storage by a computer.
22.
Law.
  1. the commitment to writing, as authentic evidence, of something having legal importance, especially as evidence of the proceedings or verdict of a court.
  2. evidence preserved in this manner.
  3. an authentic or official written report of proceedings of a court of justice.
adjective, record
23.
making or affording a record.
24.
surpassing or superior to all others:
a record year for automobile sales.
Idioms
25.
go on record, to issue a public statement of one's opinion or stand:
He went on record as advocating immediate integration.
26.
off the record,
  1. not intended for publication; unofficial; confidential:
    The president's comment was strictly off the record.
  2. not registered or reported as a business transaction; off the books.
27.
on record,
  1. existing as a matter of public knowledge; known.
  2. existing in a publication, document, file, etc.:
    There was no birth certificate on record.
Origin
1175-1225; 1875-80 for def 17; (v.) Middle English recorden < Old French recorder < Latin recordārī to remember, recollect (re- re- + cord- (stem of cors) heart + -ārī infinitive ending); (noun) Middle English record(e) < Old French, derivative of recorder; compare Medieval Latin recordum
Related forms
recordable, adjective
recordless, adjective
unrecordable, adjective
well-recorded, adjective
Synonyms
1. register, enroll, enter, note. 11. chronicle, history, journal; note, memorandum.
British Dictionary definitions for off the record

off the record

adjective (off-the-record when prenominal)
1.
not intended for publication or disclosure; confidential
adverb
2.
with such an intention; unofficially

record

noun (ˈrɛkɔːd)
1.
an account in permanent form, esp in writing, preserving knowledge or information about facts or events
2.
a written account of some transaction that serves as legal evidence of the transaction
3.
a written official report of the proceedings of a court of justice or legislative body, including the judgments given or enactments made
4.
anything serving as evidence or as a memorial: the First World War is a record of human folly
5.
(often pl) information or data on a specific subject collected methodically over a long period: weather records
6.
  1. the best or most outstanding amount, rate, height, etc, ever attained, as in some field of sport: an Olympic record, a world record, to break the record for the long jump
  2. (as modifier): a record time
7.
the sum of one's recognized achievements, career, or performance: the officer has an excellent record
8.
a list of crimes of which an accused person has previously been convicted, which are known to the police but may only be disclosed to a court in certain circumstances
9.
have a record, to be a known criminal; have a previous conviction or convictions
10.
Also called gramophone record, disc. a thin disc of a plastic material upon which sound has been recorded. Each side has a spiral groove, which undulates in accordance with the frequency and amplitude of the sound. Records were formerly made from a shellac-based compound but were later made from vinyl plastics
11.
the markings made by a recording instrument such as a seismograph
12.
(computing) a group of data or piece of information preserved as a unit in machine-readable form
13.
(in some computer languages) a data structure designed to allow the handling of groups of related pieces of information as though the group were a single entity
14.
for the record, for the sake of a strict factual account
15.
go on record, to state one's views publicly
16.
See off the record
17.
on record
  1. stated in a public document
  2. publicly known
18.
put the record straight, set the record straight, to correct an error or misunderstanding
verb (mainly transitive) (rɪˈkɔːd)
19.
to set down in some permanent form so as to preserve the true facts of: to record the minutes of a meeting
20.
to contain or serve to relate (facts, information, etc)
21.
to indicate, show, or register: his face recorded his disappointment
22.
to remain as or afford evidence of: these ruins record the life of the Romans in Britain
23.
(also intransitive) to make a recording of (music, speech, etc) for reproduction, or for later broadcasting
24.
(also intransitive) (of an instrument) to register or indicate (information) on a scale: the barometer recorded a low pressure
Derived Forms
recordable, adjective
Word Origin
C13: from Old French recorder to call to mind, from Latin recordārī to remember, from re- + cor heart
Word Origin and History for off the record

record

v.

c.1200, "to repeat, reiterate, recite; rehearse, get by heart," from Old French recorder "tell, relate, repeat, recite, report, make known" (12c.) and directly from Latin recordari "remember, call to mind, think over, be mindful of," from re- "restore" (see re-) + cor (genitive cordis) "heart" (as the metaphoric seat of memory, cf. learn by heart); see heart.

Meaning "set down in writing" first attested mid-14c.; that of "put sound or pictures on disks, tape, etc." is from 1892. Related: Recorded; recording.

n.

c.1300, "testimony committed to writing," from Old French record "memory, statement, report," from recorder "to record" (see record (v.)). Meaning "written account of some event" is from late 14c. Meaning "disk on which sounds or images have been recorded" is first attested 1878. That of "best or highest recorded achievement in sports, etc." is from 1883. Phrase on the record is from 1900; adverbial phrase off the record "confidentially" is attested from 1906. Record-player attested from 1919.

off the record in Medicine

record re·cord (rĭ-kôrd')
v. re·cord·ed, re·cord·ing, re·cords

  1. To set down for preservation in writing or other permanent form.

  2. To register or indicate.

n. rec·ord (rěk'ərd)

  1. An account, as of information or facts, set down especially in writing as a means of preserving knowledge.

  2. A medical record.

  3. In dentistry, a registration of desired jaw relations in a plastic material or on a device so that such relations may be transferred to an articulator.

  4. The known history of performance, activities, or achievement.

  5. A collection of related, often adjacent items of computer data, treated as a unit.

Slang definitions & phrases for off the record

off the record

adverb phrase

Confidential; not for publication or attribution: The mayor would only speak off the record, and very cryptically at that (1933+)


record

Related Terms

broken record, off the record, track record


Idioms and Phrases with off the record

off the record

Unofficially, in confidence, not for publication, as in
What he was about to say, he told the reporters, was strictly off the record
. Probably alluding to striking evidence from a court record (because it is irrelevant or improper), this term came into wide use in the mid-1900s, especially with reference to persons who did not wish to be quoted by journalists. For antonyms, see

record

see: