Labeled

How to spell labeled

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce labeled

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does labeled mean?

1. verbMarked or described something with a name, tag, or category in the past.

Labeled in a sentence

• The lab technician labeled every sample before storing it in the freezer.

• She labeled each moving box by room so the unpacking would go faster.

Where does labeled come from?

Language of origin: French

The base word comes from the Old French label (also spelled lambel), which meant a narrow strip or ribbon of cloth, often one hung from a garment or seal. English took it up in the 1300s, first for such a slip of paper or fabric attached to something, and only later for the printed sticker or tag that identifies a product or container. The familiar modern verb, meaning to attach a descriptive name to something, grew naturally out of that noun. American spelling keeps a single -l- before the -ed ending because the stress falls on the first syllable (LA-bel), and unstressed final consonants are not doubled in that tradition; British and Canadian writers double it to labelled, which is exactly where the spelling uncertainty creeps in. The same Old French source also lies behind the heraldic label, a horizontal band still used to mark a coat of arms.

How the word is built

• label (a tag or descriptive mark)
• -ed (past tense / past participle suffix)

British and American spelling

Labeled is the American spelling. British English spells it labelled.