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

The etymology of the word is interesting and pertinent to this essay and its intentions. —Eli Amdur, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025

But the more revealing meaning lies in the etymology of the word itself. —Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 24 Mar. 2025

The etymology traces back through Middle English, to Anglo-French, and ultimately to the Latin aequus, meaning equal or fair. —Erik Sherman, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025

Kendrick responds to that feedback on the album version, which trades his smooth vocals on the single version for a throatier delivery and cuts off the third verse for a clunky and misinformed skit about the etymology of the N-word. —Stephen Kearse, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025

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

Rhymes for etymology

• aetiology
• anthropology
• archaeology
• archeology
• audiology
• cardiology
• climatology
• cohomology
• cosmetology
• criminology
• demonology
• dermatology

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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"