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Webster 1913 Edition

Etymology

Etˊy-mol′o-gy

(-jy̆)
,
Noun.
;
pl.
Etymologies
(-jĭz)
.
[L.
etymologia
, Gr.
ἐτυμολογία
;
ἔτυμον
etymon +
λόγοσ
discourse, description: cf. F.
étymologie
. See
Etymon
, and
-logy
.]
1.
That branch of philological science which treats of the history of words, tracing out their origin, primitive significance, and changes of form and meaning.
2.
That part of grammar which relates to the changes in the form of the words in a language; inflection.

Webster 1828 Edition

Etymology

ETYMOL'OGY

,
Noun.
[Gr. true, and discourse.]
1.
That part of philology which explains the origin and derivation of words, with a view to ascertain their radical or primary signification.
In grammar, etymology comprehends the various inflections and modifications of words, and shows how they are formed from their simple roots.
2.
The deduction of words from their originals; the analysis of compound words into their primitives.

Definition 2024

etymology

etymology

For etymology on Wiktionary, see Wiktionary:Etymology.

English

Noun

etymology ‎(plural etymologies)

  1. (uncountable) The study of the historical development of languages, particularly as manifested in individual words.
  2. (countable) An account of the origin and historical development of a word.

Usage notes

  • Not to be confused with entomology ‎(“the study of insects”) or etiology ‎(“the study of causes or origins”).

Derived terms

Related terms

Hyponyms

Translations

References

  • “etymology” in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.
  • “etymology” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
  • "etymology" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.

Etymology

From Middle English etimologie, from Old French ethimologie, from Latin etymologia, from Ancient Greek ἐτυμολογία ‎(etumología), from ἔτυμον ‎(étumon, “true sense”) and -λογία ‎(-logía, “study of”) (from λόγος ‎(lógos, “word; explanation”)).

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ĕt"ə-mŏl'ə-jē, IPA(key): /ˌɛt.ɪˈmɒl.ə.dʒi/
  • (General American) enPR: ĕt"ə-mŏl'ə-jē, IPA(key): /ˌɛtəˈmɑlədʒi/
  • Hyphenation: e‧ty‧mo‧lo‧gy

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