etymology
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əˈmɒl noun, plural et·y·mol·o·gies.
1.
the derivation of a word. Synonyms: 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. Synonyms: 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
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
Related forms
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
sub·et·y·mol·o·gy, noun, plural sub·et·y·mol·o·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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To etymology
00:10
Etymology
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
etymology (ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —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 | |
| 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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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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Example sentences
Plagiarism is as old as its etymology suggests and hardly epidemic.
Its etymology is not given in the American dictionaries.
Students choose programs that range from genomics to etymology to music theory.
But, as a famous expert on etymology, he must have known he had used the wrong word.
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