zapis

Zapis is a Polish noun meaning a written record or notation. It can refer to the act of writing something down as well as the result of that act, such as an entry in a ledger, a note, a contract clause, or a medical record. The term encompasses both everyday notes and formal documentation, as well as symbolic or formal notations in various fields, for example phonetic transcription or musical notation.

Etymology and related terms: Zapis is derived from the verb zapisać, meaning to write down or to record, with the prefix za- forming a perfective aspect. It has cognates in other Slavic languages, such as Russian zapis’ and Ukrainian zapys, reflecting a common Indo-Slavic heritage.

Uses and contexts: In administrative and archival work, a zapis is an entry in a registry or ledger. In healthcare, the phrase zapis medyczny refers to a patient’s medical record. In legal and contractual contexts, a zapis can denote a clause, provision, or stipulation recorded in a document. In linguistics and music, zapis fonetyczny or zapis muzyczny denotes phonetic or musical notation. In computing, the term is also used to describe the act of saving data to storage, i.e., writing a file or disk write.

Variations and related forms: The plural form zapisy refers to multiple records or entries, while the verb form zapisać describes the act of creating a zapis. The term remains a core concept across formal and informal contexts in Polish.