I. |däkyə|mentər]ē, ]i also | ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷|men.tr] or ˈdäkyəmən.ˌter] adjective
Etymology: document (I) + -ary
1. : being or consisting of documents : contained or certified in writing
documentary evidence
2. : of, relating to, or employing documentation in literature or art
documentary annotations
a careful documentary writer
broadly : having or claiming the objective quality, authority, or force of documentation in the representation of a scene, place, or condition of life or of a social or political problem or cause : factual , objective , representational — used of works of literature, the theater, art, photography, radio and TV programs
II. noun
( -es )
: a documentary presentation (as a film or novel)