Definition of etymology

In classical times, with reference to meanings; later, to histories.

Commonly Confused: Etymology and Entomology. The etymology of etymology itself is relatively straightforward. Etymon means "origin of a word" in Latin, and comes from the Greek word etymon , meaning "literal meaning of a word according to its origin. Entomon means "insect" in Greek, and entomology is the study of bugs. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'etymology.

Definition of etymology

Add to word list Add to word list. At university she developed an interest in etymology. A list of selected words and their etymologies is printed at the back of the book. Related words etymological adjective. English the origin and history of a word or words, or the study of word origins. Examples of etymology. Tales of swollen feet, burial ceremonies, and sea plants are mixed in with reports of military traditions, place name etymologies and accounts of hospitality rituals. From the Cambridge English Corpus. The section ends with a brief note on etymology , including one or two pointers to etymological abbreviations and conventions found in dictionaries. Its discussion of etymology is balanced and quite careful. People are very good at folk etymologies that puts some pressure on getting the dictionary out before more of them become too entrenched in writing. The term, in all probability an acronym, has an elusive etymology. I have not found comparable etymologies for the words considered here in the works she cites. The strong association of the ceremonial drink with a swizzle stick is pragmatic evidence for the etymology suggested.

Online Etymology Dictionary. The Daily Beast reached out to Eschliman to ask about the definition and etymology of the term "Gaystapo. Which word entered the English language first?

English Dictionary. Word Lists. Grammar English Easy Learning Grammar. Grammar Patterns. English Usage. Teaching Resources. Video Guides.

English Dictionary. Word Lists. Grammar English Easy Learning Grammar. Grammar Patterns. English Usage. Teaching Resources.

Definition of etymology

An etymology is the history of a linguistic form, such as a word; the same term is also used for the study of word histories. A dictionary etymology tells us what is known of an English word before it became the word entered in that dictionary. If the word was created in English, the etymology shows, to whatever extent is not already obvious from the shape of the word, what materials were used to form it. If the word was borrowed into English, the etymology traces the borrowing process backward from the point at which the word entered English to the earliest records of the ancestral language. Where it is relevant, an etymology notes words from other languages that are related "akin" to the word in the dictionary entry, but that are not in the direct line of borrowing. An etymologist , a specialist in the study of etymology, must know a good deal about the history of English and also about the relationships of sound and meaning and their changes over time that underline the reconstruction of the Indo-European language family. Knowledge is also needed of the various processes by which words are created within Modern English; the most important processes are listed below. A majority of the words used in English today are of foreign origin. English still derives much of its vocabulary from Latin and Greek, but we have also borrowed words from nearly all of the languages in Europe. In the modern period of linguistic acquisitiveness, English has found vocabulary opportunities even farther afield.

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Log in. Get the latest news and gain access to exclusive updates and offers Sign me up. Retrieved Quiz Mandarin Chinese confusables. The most common opinion is the most absurd, which derives this word from pons, and assigns the priests the title of bridge-makers. Tremendous thanks and appreciation to all of you. As practised by Socrates in the Cratylus , etymology involves a claim about the underlying semantic content of the name, what it really means or indicates. General linguistics. Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine. Word History. The dates beside a word indicate the earliest year for which there is a surviving written record of that word in English, unless otherwise indicated. In the case of cockroach, you have the unfamiliar Spanish sounds assimilating with two near-sounding English words, cock and roach. The priests, called Pontifices Grammar Thesaurus.

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English usage. In a moment of noteworthy frankness Prof. Read more. Hindi English to Hindi. Choose your language. Time Traveler. Add to word list Add to word list. Applied linguistics. English has surprises covered! Word forms: plural etymologies 1. This should be taken as approximate, especially before about , since a word may have been used in conversation for hundreds of years before it turns up in a manuscript that has had the good fortune to survive the centuries. What is the pronunciation of etymology?