etymology

Definitions

1. The scientific study of the origin and evolution of a word's semantic meaning across time, including its constituent morphemes and phonemes.
   uncountable
2. The entire catalogue of meanings that a word, morpheme, or sign has carried throughout its history.
   countable
3. An account of the origin and historical development of a word as presented in a dictionary or the like.
   countable
4. The direct origin of a name, as in who someone was named after.
   countable

Equivalents

49 more languages

العربيةإِشْتِقَاقاشتقاقتَأْثِيلعلم أصل الكلمة+ 1 more

Беларускаяэтымалогія

Българскиетимология

Bosanskietimologijaетимологија

Catalàetimologia

Češtinaetymologie

Cymraegtarddiad

Dansketymologi

Ελληνικάετυμολογία

Esperantoetimovortodeveno

Eestietümoloogia

Suomietymologia

Gaeilgesanasaíocht

Galegoetimoloxía

עבריתאטימולוגיה

हिन्दीनामोत्पत्तिव्युत्पत्तिव्युत्पत्तिशास्त्रसर्फ़+ 1 more

Hrvatskietimologijaетимологија

Magyareredetetimológiaszármazás

Հայերենստուգաբանություն

Bahasa Indonesiaetimologi

Íslenskaorðsifjar

Italianoetimologia

日本語語源語源学

ქართულიეტიმოლოგია

ភាសាខ្មែរដើមកំណើតពាក្យមូលសព្ទ

한국어어원어원학

Kurdîetîmoetîmolojî

Latinaderivatioetymologiaveriloquium

Latviešuetimoloģija

Македонскиетимологија

മലയാളംപദോൽപ്പത്തി

မြန်မာဗျုပ္ပတ်

Nederlandsetymologie

Polskietymologiasłoworódźródłosłów

Portuguêsetimologia

Românăetimologie

Русскийэтимоло́гия

Slovenčinaetymológia

Slovenščinaetimologija

Српскиetimologijaетимологија

Svenskaetymologi

தமிழ்சொற்பிறப்பியல்

Тоҷикӣрешашиносӣ

ไทยรากศัพท์ศัพทมูล

Tagalogetimolohiya

Türkçeetimolojikökenköken bilimi

Українськаетимологія

اردواشتقاقصِرْف

Tiếng Việtngữ nguyênngữ nguyên họctừ nguyêntừ nguyên học+ 1 more

Examples

“Holonyms: historical linguistics < linguistics”

“Although written the same, the words lead⟳ (the metal) and lead⟳ (the verb) have⟳ totally different etymologies.”

“The etymology of the term Japlish is disputed and contentiously so.”

“Etymologies appeal to people with a very wide variety of interests and intellectual backgrounds. A very few people, such as myself, spend⟳ most of their time researching etymologies. A slightly larger number⟳ do so very occasionally. Many, many more people look⟳ at etymologies, but have⟳ never researched any themselves. Some people will never even have⟳ thought of etymologies as things which need⟳ to be researched. Particularly when etymologies are encountered in the compressed form⟳ found in many dictionaries, they can seem to be a given, rather than the (often very tentative) results of extensive research⟳. This book is intended for anyone who has taken the important first step of realizing that etymologies are the result⟳ of research⟳, and would like⟳ to discover⟳ something about the nature of that research⟳, and the principles and methodologies which underlie it.”

“I began to study⟳ coats of arms, visit⟳ the Web sites of portrait galleries and look⟳ up the etymology of Gaelic names.”

“Where did this name⟳ Harlequin (or Arlechin) come⟳ from? Most etymologies for the name⟳ give⟳ the Hellequin theory.”

“I'm sure you know⟳ the etymology of your name⟳, Goodspeed.”

CEFR level