
This word probably comes from the French dossiere which referred to a back-strap or ridge strap on a horse’s harness, perhaps because the bundle bore a label on the back or bore resemblance to the curve of the spine or back of a horse. This is where we get the related word dorsal. This comes from the French dossier meaning a bundle of papers, from the French dos meaning back, a 12c word that comes from the Vulgar Latin dossum and Latin dorsum, which means back.


The word dossier is three syllables – dos-si-er, and the pronunciation of dossier is ˈdɒsɪeɪ, or sometimes people end the word in an “ier” sound which is also acceptable. In a dossier, all of the documents are related to the same topic. An attorney might present a dossier of evidence in a courtroom, or someone might present a dossier of complaints to a person to take disciplinary action. According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the word dossier is a noun that means a collection of papers that contain detailed information about a particular subject, particular person, or a person’s record.
