etymology

noun

et·y·mol·o·gy | \ ˌe-tə-ˈmä-lə-jē

plural etymologies

Definition of etymology

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

Other Words from etymology Commonly Confused: Etymology and Entomology Example Sentences Phrases Containing etymology Learn More About etymology

Other Words from etymology

etymological \ ˌe-tə-mə-ˈlä-ji-kəl

\ adjective

etymologically \ ˌe-tə-mə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē

\ adverb

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 Its etymology -- from the Old English -- has to do with shed blood. — Dave Lucas, CNN, 15 Apr. 2022 If Villanueva doesn’t get reelected, maybe there’s a career in etymology for him? — Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2022 Floyd’s explanation is indeed considered one possible etymology for the term. — Caroline Tien, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Feb. 2022 An ideology of #Prada becomes an etymology of beauty, a history of women. — Natasha Dado, PEOPLE.com, 24 Feb. 2022 Like studying the etymology of a word instead of just learning how to spell it for a spelling bee. — David Oliver, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2022 The delicacy’s name has several iterations, actually, but most theorize that the etymology changed once the deliciousness hit the deli case, since pastrami rhymes with salami. — Amy Drew Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, 14 Jan. 2022 Its etymology is simple: to pre-dict is to say before, to articulate what has not yet come to pass. — Diana Rose Harper, Wired, 5 Jan. 2022 But like much in the retail world, this etymology is an attempt to dress up a more mundane reality. — Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Nov. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'etymology.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Learn More About etymology

Listen to Our Podcast About etymology

From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

Dictionary Entries Near etymology

etymologize

etymology

etymon

Statistics for etymology

Last Updated

1 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Etymology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/etymology. Accessed 21 May. 2022.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

More Definitions for etymology

etymology

noun

et·y·mol·o·gy | \ ˌe-tə-ˈmä-lə-jē

plural etymologies

Kids Definition of etymology

: 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 may have been taken