Looking for a word

August 23, 2019 2:11 PM

I'm working on something and am trying to come up with a single word that begins with the letter "E" (to fit in an acronym), which refers to the concepts of process documentation, definition documentation, data governance/validation/quality, etc. I just can't seem to find one, so I'm turning to the hive mind.
posted by noneuclidean to Writing & Language (29 answers total)

Explanation
Explanatory
Expository
posted by mbrubeck at 2:15 PM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Elucidation?
Elaboration?
posted by Mngo at 2:19 PM on August 23, 2019 [3 favorites]

Enumeration?
posted by carmicha at 2:22 PM on August 23, 2019 [2 favorites]

Explication?
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 2:24 PM on August 23, 2019

Some more ideas:
Editing, Editor, Edition
Execution, Executive
Exact, Exacting
Encapulate
posted by forforf at 2:26 PM on August 23, 2019

Evidence.
posted by effluvia at 2:31 PM on August 23, 2019 [2 favorites]

Encromulate
posted by wires at 2:33 PM on August 23, 2019 [2 favorites]

Maybe Environment, by analogy with IDEs
posted by rollick at 2:34 PM on August 23, 2019

Encoding
posted by danceswithlight at 2:34 PM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Encyclopedic
posted by jeffamaphone at 2:35 PM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Exposition
posted by crocomancer at 2:37 PM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Externalize
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:38 PM on August 23, 2019

Enroll
Enter
Endorse
posted by smokysunday at 3:04 PM on August 23, 2019

Elucidation?
posted by Night_owl at 3:23 PM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Evidence-based
posted by corey flood at 3:28 PM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Enacting or Enacted?
posted by jamjam at 3:52 PM on August 23, 2019

Erudition
posted by mce at 4:06 PM on August 23, 2019

Ensure
Encode
Evaluate
Efficacy
Excellence
posted by freya_lamb at 4:09 PM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]

Errata
posted by DarlingBri at 4:30 PM on August 23, 2019

Examine
Establish
posted by Redstart at 4:40 PM on August 23, 2019

Eructation. I know, but it sounds like the right word.
posted by lothar at 5:49 PM on August 23, 2019

Elicitation?
posted by melissa at 6:27 PM on August 23, 2019

Probably less specific than you’re hoping for but the best I can come up with is “expertise” (which can be a verb as well as a noun) or something similar like “expert”. Documentation about processes or definition is expertise and data governance/validation/quality presumably require the application of expertise.
posted by kyten at 4:33 AM on August 24, 2019 [1 favorite]

Taking advantage of modern slang, you might use the E as a prefix, like E-Normative or E-Compliant. Or even use a compound word like Executive-level. The IRS beat you to eFile.

"Entropy Reduction " has a meaning the tends in the right direction, but I can't really recommend it.

Not every acronym faithfully follows the underlying phrase, so you can take some liberties if you need to.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:35 AM on August 24, 2019

evince
elite
elide
erudition
edifice
evangel
posted by 20 year lurk at 9:32 AM on August 24, 2019

emit
exude
exhibit
posted by 20 year lurk at 9:33 AM on August 24, 2019

Encapsulation? If you're bringing it the documentation together and containing it in some way.
posted by Stewriffic at 9:52 AM on August 24, 2019

If the ultimate goal is education, empowerment or efficiency, maybe you could use one of those.
posted by Redstart at 12:49 PM on August 24, 2019 [1 favorite]

Explication
Evaluation
Exhibition
Exposition
Externalization
Expression
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:52 PM on August 25, 2019 [1 favorite]