etymology
noun
et·y·mol·o·gy
| \ ˌe-tə-ˈmä-lə-jē
\
\
plural etymologies
Definition of etymology
1
: the history of a linguistic form (such as a word) shown by tracing its development since its earliest recorded occurrence in the language where it is found, by tracing its transmission from one language to another, by analyzing it into its component parts, by identifying its cognates in other languages, or by tracing it and its cognates to a common ancestral form in an ancestral language
2
: a branch of linguistics concerned with etymologies
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Other Words from etymology
etymological
\ ˌe-tə-mə-ˈlä-ji-kəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
etymologically
\ ˌe-tə-mə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
Examples of etymology in a Sentence
Visible just beneath the entries are tantalizing glimpses of the lexicographer's craft: scouring periodicals for fresh coinages, poring over competing dictionaries in search of elusive etymologies and hounding writers and scholars in the service of … "ear candy" or plain old "duh."
— Margalit Fox, New York Times Book Review, 18 June 1995
Professionals have always tried to seal the borders of their trade and to snipe at any outsider with a pretense to amateur enthusiasm (although amateurs who truly love their subject, as the etymology of their status proclaims, often acquire far more expertise than the average time-clock-punching breadwinner).
— Stephen Jay Gould, Natural History, February 1991
True etymology, if there is such a thing, seeks to displace our attention back in time, to roots, whereas the "popular" variety tries to update words, to familiarize them where the so-called science estranges them.
— Walter Redfern, Puns, 1984
Several different etymologies have been proposed.
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Recent Examples on the Web
In its etymology are the Greek verb misein, to hate, and gyne, women. — The Economist, "How to change a word’s meaning," 22 June 2019 Steaks should be sold only on a pointed stick, on the grounds that most shoppers will rely on the proto-Indo-European etymology. — The Economist, "Europe heroically defends itself against veggie burgers," 28 June 2019 Each one contains a few sentences of Nazi writing and the etymology of a specific German word, both its original meaning and its distorted one. — Gal Beckerman, New York Times, "The Holocaust Survivor Who Deciphered Nazi Doublespeak," 24 June 2019 Λαων, λ αε: etymology obscure, semantic field dubious. — Anne Carson, Harper's magazine, "From a manuscript in progress. Carson’s collection of performance pieces," 10 June 2019 This feat takes hours of repetition, coaching from a teacher or loved one, and study of etymology, or the origin of words. — Madeline Holcombe, CNN, "A historic win. The National Spelling Bee has not one -- but 8 champions," 31 May 2019 Other essays provide deep conceptual etymologies of historical events, key figures and schools of thought. — George Prochnik, New York Times, "The Philosopher in Dark Times," 12 Apr. 2018 Canvass, though, must be the campaign word with the strangest etymology. — Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, "So many words to talk about elections," 14 June 2018 To prepare for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Walters coached Nemmani on language patterns and etymologies — the roots and histories of words. — Katie Reilly, Time, "Here's What It Takes to Win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, According to the Victor's 16-Year-Old Coach," 1 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'etymology.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for etymology
etymology
noun
English Language Learners Definition of etymology
: an explanation of where a word came from : the history of a word
: the study of word histories
See the full definition for etymology in the English Language Learners Dictionary
etymology
noun
et·y·mol·o·gy
| \ ˌe-tə-ˈmä-lə-jē
\
\
plural etymologies
Kids Definition of etymology
: the history of a word shown by tracing it or its parts back to the earliest known forms and meanings both in its own language and any other language from which it may have been taken
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