journal
    n 1: a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences
         and observations [syn: diary, journal]
    2: a periodical dedicated to a particular subject; "he reads the
       medical journals"
    3: a ledger in which transactions have been recorded as they
       occurred [syn: daybook, journal]
    4: a record book as a physical object
    5: the part of the axle contained by a bearing

Journal \Jour"nal\, a. [F., fr. L. diurnalis diurnal, fr.
   diurnus belonging to the day, fr. dies day. See Diurnal.]
   Daily; diurnal. [Obs.]
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         Whiles from their journal labors they did rest.
                                                  --Spenser.
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Journal \Jour"nal\, n. [F. journal. See Journal, a.]
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   1. A diary; an account of daily transactions and events.
      Specifically:
      (a) (Bookkeeping) A book of accounts, in which is entered
          a condensed and grouped statement of the daily
          transactions.
      (b) (Naut.) A daily register of the ship's course and
          distance, the winds, weather, incidents of the voyage,
          etc.
      (c) (Legislature) The record of daily proceedings, kept by
          the clerk.
      (d) A newspaper published daily; by extension, a weekly
          newspaper or any periodical publication, giving an
          account of passing events, the proceedings and memoirs
          of societies, etc.; a periodical; a magazine.
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   2. That which has occurred in a day; a day's work or travel;
      a day's journey. [Obs. & R.] --B. Jonson.
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   3. (Mach.) That portion of a rotating piece, as a shaft,
      axle, spindle, etc., which turns in a bearing or box. See
      Illust. of Axle box.
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   Journal box, or Journal bearing (Mach.) the carrier of a
      journal; the box in which the journal of a shaft, axle, or
      pin turns.
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journal
journalling

    An on-going record of transactions, such as
   database updates, file system writes, procedure calls or
   message transmissions.  A journal differs from a simple log
   in that the contents of the journal can be used to reconstruct
   the state of the system after a failure by re-applying the
   transactions in the journal to a snapshot of the system
   previous state.

   (2008-05-29)

JOURNAL, mar. law. The book kept on board of a ship or other vessel, which 
contains an account of the ship's course, with a short history of every 
occurrence during the voyage. Another name for logbook. (q.v.) Chit. Law of 
Nat. 199. 

JOURNAL, common law. A book used among merchants, in which the contents of 
the waste-book are separated every month, and entered on the debtor and 
creditor side, for more convenient posting in the ledger. 

JOURNAL, legislation. An account of the proceedings of a legislative body. 
     2. The Constitution of the United States, art. 1, s. 5, directs that 
"each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings; and from time to time 
publish the same, excepting such parts as may, in their judgment, require 
secrecy." Vide 2 Story, Const., 301. 
     3. The constitutions of the several states contain similar provisions. 
     4. The journal of either house is evidence of the action of that house 
upon all matters before it. 7 Cowen, R. 613 Cowp. 17.