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journal (n.)

mid-14c., "book of church services," from Anglo-French jurnal, from Old French jornel, "a day; time; a day's travel or work" (12c., Modern French journal), properly "that which takes place daily," noun use of adjective meaning "daily, of the day," from Late Latin diurnalis "daily," from Latin dies "day," from PIE root *dyeu- "to shine."

The meaning "book for inventories and daily accounts" is from late 15c. in English (14c. in French); that of "personal diary" is c. 1600, also from a sense developed in French. Meaning "daily publication" is from 1728. Classical Latin used diurnus for "of the day, by day," and also as a noun, "account-book, day-book."

Initial -d- in Latin usually remains in French, but according to Brachet, when it is followed by an -iu-, the -i- becomes consonantized as a -j- "and eventually ejects the d." He also cites jusque from de-usque.

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Definitions of journal from WordNet

journal (n.)
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations;
Synonyms: diary
journal (n.)
a periodical dedicated to a particular subject;
he reads the medical journals
journal (n.)
a ledger in which transactions have been recorded as they occurred;
Synonyms: daybook
journal (n.)
a record book as a physical object;
journal (n.)
the part of the axle contained by a bearing;
From wordnet.princeton.edu