etymology
ˌɛtɪˈmɑlədʒi
etymologies
Definition Synonyms

Definition of etymology - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

1.
linguisticsTECH.study of the origin and history of wordsTECH.
  • She specialized in etymology during her linguistic studies..
lexicology
2.
dictionary entryTECH.account of a word's origin in a dictionaryTECH.
  • The dictionary provides the etymology of each word.
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Expressions with etymology

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incorrect explanation of a word's origin by non-experts
Many believe the folk etymology of 'butterfly' is incorrect.
folk interpretation of a word's origin based on resemblance to familiar terms
Many believe 'cockroach' derived from 'cock' and 'roach' due to popular etymology..

Origin of etymology

Greek, etymon (true sense) + logia (study)

Terms with etymology included in their meaning

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etymol.abbr.
abr: etymology
study of where words come from and their history

Examples of etymology in a sentence

  • He wrote a book on the etymology of English words.
  • Check the etymology beneath the definition.
  • Its etymology lists an Old French source.

View all translations of etymology

Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:étymologie, ...
  2. German:Etymologie, Wortherkunft, ...
  3. Italian:etimologia, ...
  4. Spanish:etimología, ...
  5. Portuguese:etimologia, ...
  6. Chinese:词源学, 词源, ...
  7. Japanese:語源学, 語源, ...
  8. Arabic:علم أصول الكلمات, أَصْل الكَلِمَة, ...
  9. Hebrew:אֵטִימוֹלוֹגְיָה, אֶטִימוֹלוֹגְיָה, ...
  10. Russian:этимология, ...
  11. Ukrainian:етимологія, ...
  12. Hindi:व्युत्पत्तिशास्त्र, व्युत्पत्ति, ...

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