Definition of etymology Etymology

/ɛˌtʌmɑˈlʌʤi/ - [etumalujee] - et•y•mol•o•gy

We found 10 definitions of etymology from 7 different sources.

What does etymology mean?

Noun Plural: etymologies
etymology - the study of the sources and development of words
		linguistics the humanistic study of language and literature
etymology - a history of a word
		chronicle, history, story, account the discipline that records and interprets past events involving human beings; "he teaches Medieval history"; "history takes the long view"

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etymology (Noun)
The study of the historical development of languages, particularly as manifested in individual words.
etymology (Noun)
An account of the origin and historical development of a word.

etymology (n.)
That branch of philological science which treats of the history of words, tracing out their origin, primitive significance, and changes of form and meaning.
etymology (n.)
That part of grammar which relates to the changes in the form of the words in a language; inflection.

etymology
The science dealing with the origin and historical development of words.

etymology
et-i-mol′o-ji, n. the investigation of the derivation and original signification of words: the science that treats of the origin and history of words: the part of grammar relating to inflection.—adjs. Etym′ic; Etymolog′ical.—adv. Etymolog′ically.—ns. Etymolog′icon, -cum, an etymological dictionary.—v.t. Etymol′ogise, to give, or search into, the etymology of a word.—ns. Etymol′ogist, one skilled in or who writes on etymology; Et′ymon, the origin of a word: an original root: the genuine or literal sense of a word. [O. Fr.,—L.,—Gr. etymos, true, logia, an account.]

Etymology is the study of the origin and meaning of words and names. It tells us how words have changed over time, and what other languages they came from. For example, the etymology of the word "etymology" is from the Greek words ἔτυμον ("étymon", "true meaning", from "etymos" "true") and λόγος ("lógos", "word" or "study").

Cognates are discovered with the help of etymology.