noun
etymology
et-ih-MAH-luh-jee/ˌetɪˈmɑːlədʒi/
The historical origin and development of words.
The dictionary explains the etymology of each word in detail.
Etymology
The pieces mean “study of the true sense.” An inquiry into a word’s original meaning broadened into an account of its origin and historical development.
In context
well sometimes you have to go back to the etymology of the word magazine comes from the Arabic word magazine or magazine what this word originally means in Arabic is to store something
More examples
- She studies etymology to learn how languages influence one another.
- The two words sound alike but have different etymologies.
- The word's etymology traces it back to Latin.
Forms
etymology · etymologies
etymological adjective — Relating to words' origins and historical development.
etymologist noun — A researcher who studies word origins.
Similar words
- word history
- Describes an individual word's past rather than the whole field.
- origin
- Focuses on a word's beginning rather than its later development.