etymology

noun

et·​y·​mol·​o·​gy ˌe-tə-ˈmä-lə-jē 

plural etymologies

1

: the history of a linguistic form (such as a word) shown by tracing its development since its earliest recorded occurrence in the language where it is found, by tracing its transmission from one language to another, by analyzing it into its component parts, by identifying its cognates in other languages, or by tracing it and its cognates to a common ancestral form in an ancestral language

2

: a branch of linguistics concerned with etymologies

etymological

ˌe-tə-mə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

adjective

etymologically

ˌe-tə-mə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

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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." Greek etymon in turn comes from etymos, which means "true." Be careful not to confuse etymology with the similar-sounding entomology. Entomon means "insect" in Greek, and entomology is the study of bugs.

Examples of etymology in a Sentence

Visible just beneath the entries are tantalizing glimpses of the lexicographer's craft: scouring periodicals for fresh coinages, poring over competing dictionaries in search of elusive etymologies and hounding writers and scholars in the service of … "ear candy" or plain old "duh." —Margalit Fox, New York Times Book Review, 18 June 1995

Professionals have always tried to seal the borders of their trade and to snipe at any outsider with a pretense to amateur enthusiasm (although amateurs who truly love their subject, as the etymology of their status proclaims, often acquire far more expertise than the average time-clock-punching breadwinner). —Stephen Jay Gould, Natural History, February 1991

True etymology, if there is such a thing, seeks to displace our attention back in time, to roots, whereas the "popular" variety tries to update words, to familiarize them where the so-called science estranges them. —Walter Redfern, Puns, 1984

Several different etymologies have been proposed.

Recent Examples on the Web

Influence, it has been noted in this era of epidemics, shares a root word with influenza, an etymology that echoes the popular notion that ideas are free-floating pathogens that someone can catch without giving their conscious consent. —Meghan O'Gieblyn, WIRED, 12 Oct. 2023

In rejecting the veto power of etymology, Indulgers return all language campaigns to the realm of civility and submission. —S.c. Cornell, The New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2023

While other players were rounding the bases or waiting for their turn in the lineup, Berg entertained from the bench, telling stories about his travels, detailing the etymology of random words and chatting with the press in whatever language struck his fancy. —Zachary Clary, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Aug. 2023

Having warned us early on against the danger of overestimating etymology, Nuttall cheerfully does precisely that for much of the rest of the book. —S.c. Cornell, The New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2023

The etymology of many of the words for interest derive from the offspring of livestock, reflecting an awareness that wealth well managed is fruitful. —Adam Rowe, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2022

The term has evolved over centuries, influenced by various cultures and mythologies, and its precise etymology may have been subject to shifts and interpretations. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 15 July 2023

In a series of lectures called Discourse and Truth given at Berkeley in 1983, Michel Foucault outlined the etymology and evolution of the Greek concept of parrhesia from its origins in the Greek tragedies to its denouement in the rise of philosophy. —Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Mar. 2023

These writers drew on a body of cultural material that was wrapped up with etymology, with meanings that lay underneath the meanings of the present. —Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English ethimologie, from Anglo-French, from Latin etymologia, from Greek, from etymon + -logia -logy

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing etymology

• folk etymology

• folk etymology

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Kids Definition

etymology

noun

et·​y·​mol·​o·​gy ˌet-ə-ˈmäl-ə-jē 

plural etymologies

: the history of a word shown by tracing it or its parts back to the earliest known forms and meanings both in its own language and any other language from which it or its parts may have been taken

etymological

-mə-ˈläj-i-kəl 

adjective

etymologically

-ˈläj-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

etymologist

-ˈmäl-ə-jəst

noun

Etymology

Latin etymologia "etymology," from Greek etymon "true meaning of a word" and Greek -logia "study, science," from etymos "true" and logos "word, reason"