etymology
UK[ˌet.ɪˈmɒl.ə.dʒi]US[ˌet̬.ɪˈmɑː.lə.dʒi]
n
The study of the origin and history of words and their meanings.
n
The origin and history of a particular word.
Morpheme Breakdown
etymo
logy
etymo
true sense
logy
study of
Etymology
The word 'etymology' is a compound formed from two Greek elements. The first part, etymon, originally meant 'true sense' or 'literal meaning of a word according to its origin'. The second part, -logia, denotes a branch of knowledge or study. Thus, the term's literal construction means 'the study of true meanings'. This reflects the discipline's core aim: to trace words back to their earliest, most authentic forms and meanings, often through historical linguistics and comparative analysis. The concept itself is ancient, with Greek and Roman scholars laying the groundwork for what would become a formalized field of linguistic inquiry.
Analysis
Structure: etymo (true sense) + logy (study of)
- etymo: From Greek etymon, meaning 'true sense' or 'original meaning'.
- logy: From Greek -logia, meaning 'the study of' or 'discourse'.
Examples
She is fascinated by the etymology of place names.
According to its etymology, the word "quarantine" comes from a Venetian Italian term for a forty-day period.
The professor gave a lecture on the surprising etymology of common English words.