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etymology

[et-uh-mol-uh-jee] Example Sentences Origin

et·y·mol·o·gy

[et-uh-mol-uh-jee]
noun, plural et·y·mol·o·gies.
1.
the derivation of a word. word origin, word source, derivation, origin.
2.
a chronological account of the birth and development of a particular word or element of a word, often delineating its spread from one language to another and its evolving changes in form and meaning. word history, word lore, historical development.
3.
the study of historical linguistic change, especially as manifested in individual words.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin etymologia < Greek etymología, equivalent to etymológ(os) studying the true meanings and values of words (étymo(s) true (see etymon) + lógos word, reason) + -ia -y3

et·y·mo·log·i·cal [et-uh-muh-loj-i-kuhl] , et·y·mo·log·ic, adjective
et·y·mo·log·i·cal·ly, adverb
et·y·mol·o·gist, noun
pseu·do·et·y·mo·log·i·cal, adjective
pseu·do·et·y·mo·log·i·cal·ly, adverb
EXPAND
sub·et·y·mol·o·gy, noun, plural -gies.
un·et·y·mo·log·ic, adjective
un·et·y·mo·log·i·cal, adjective
un·et·y·mo·log·i·cal·ly, adverb
COLLAPSE

entomology, etymology.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To etymology

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Etymology has a plethora of syllables.
So is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. Does it mean:
the estimation of something as valueless (encountered mainly as an example of one of the longest words in the English language).
an obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust, sometimes cited as one of the longest words in the English language.
Example Sentences
  • The etymology of the word should steer you in the right direction.
  • Its etymology is not given in the American dictionaries.
  • This hodgepodge of events, facts, etymology and science reflects the author's curious mind and might interest others as well.
EXPAND
Collins
World English Dictionary
etymology (ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒɪ)
 
n , pl -gies
1.  the study of the sources and development of words and morphemes
2.  an account of the source and development of a word or morpheme
 
[C14: via Latin from Greek etumologia; see etymon, -logy]
 
etymological
 
adj
 
etymo'logically
 
adv
 
ety'mologist
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

etymology
late 14c., from Gk. etymologia, from etymon "true sense" (neut. of etymos "true," related to eteos "true") + logos "word." In classical times, of meanings; later, of histories. Latinized by Cicero as veriloquium. Related: Etymological; etymologically; etymologist.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

etymology

the history of a word or word element, including its origins and derivation. Although the etymologizing of proper names appears in the Old Testament and Plato dealt with etymology in his dialogue Cratylus, lack of knowledge of other languages and of the historical developments that languages undergo prevented ancient writers from arriving at the proper etymologies of words

Learn more about etymology with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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