Etymology

Etymology = the study of the origins of words

• the study of the history of the form of words, and the origin and evolution of their semantic meaning across time
  • more simply:
    • "word origins"
    • and how word meanings change over time

Etymology definition

• the study of the origin of words and their forms, and the history and evolution of their semantic meaning across time
• modern English words have various origins, including
  • Celtic, Old English (Anglo-Saxon), Middle English (post-Norman Invasion)
  • Latin & Greek
  • Other modern languages as words are adopted into use in English, including from
    • Native American, Hindi (or other Indian dialects), Yiddish (Hebrew origin), Arabic, Chinese

Etymology of "etymology"

• the word "etymology" comes from:
  • Greek etymologia for "study of the true sense of a word"
    • etymos (true sense, actual) +-logia (study of)
• viewing the etymology of a word helps to understand the use, meanings, and implications of words
  • especially to appreciate distinctions between synonyms

Resources

• we recommend using https://www.etymonline.com/
• See also
  • Language and etymology
  • * Proto-Indo-European Language