paginate

American  

[paj-uh-neyt] / ˈpædʒ əˌneɪt /

verb (used with object)

paginated, paginating

1. to indicate the sequence of pages in (a book, manuscript, etc.) by placing numbers or other characters on each leaf; to number the pages of.

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verb (used without object)

paginated, paginating

1. Computers. to create pages, as with a word-processing program.

paginate British  

/ ˈpædʒɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to number the pages of (a book, manuscript, etc) in sequence Compare foliate

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Other Word Forms

• pagination noun
• repaginate verb (used with object)
• unpaginated adjective

Etymology

Origin of paginate

1880–85; < Latin pāgin ( a ) page ¹ + -ate ¹

Explanation

When you paginate something, you assign numbers to many sheets of paper and put them in numerical order. Be sure to paginate your manuscript before you submit it to a magazine! A kid numbering the pages of their hand-drawn comic book and a famous novelist making sure their manuscript pages are in the correct order are both careful to paginate their work. Paginate, formed from pagination, has its roots in the Latin pagina, "page." A teacher might instruct students to number the pages of their lengthy book reports — or if she likes to challenge the class with impressive vocabulary words, she could instead say, "Paginate your work, people!"

Example Sentences

Neither is true: The Web’s earliest news sites didn’t paginate, and the practice grew up only over the past decade, in response to pressure from the ad industry.

From Slate • Oct. 1, 2012