etymology

American  

[et-uh-mol-uh-jee] / ˌɛt əˈmɒl ə dʒi /

noun

etymologies plural

1. the derivation of a word.

   Synonyms:

   origin, derivation

2. a chronological account of the birth and development of a particular word or element of a word, often delineating its spread from one language to another and its evolving changes in form and meaning.

3. the study of historical linguistic change, especially as manifested in individual words.

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etymology British  

/ ˌɛtɪməˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the study of the sources and development of words and morphemes

2. an account of the source and development of a word or morpheme

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pseudoetymological
  adjective
• unetymologic
  adjective
• etymologically
  adverb
• unetymologically
  adverb
• unetymological
  adjective
• pseudoetymologically
  adverb
• etymologic
  adjective
• subetymology
  noun
• etymologist
  noun
• etymological
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• etymologies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of etymology

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin etymologia, from Greek etymología, equivalent to etymológ(os) “studying the true meanings and values of words” ( étymo(s) “true” + lógos “word, reason”) + -ia noun suffix; see etymon, -y ³

Explanation

Since you're reading this, then you probably have some interest in etymology, because it's the study of the history and derivations of words. What genealogy is to a family, etymology is to words. A genealogist studies the history of a family. A person who studies etymology does the same thing with words. Etymology looks at the roots of words — for example, whether they started out as Latin, Greek, or as some other language — and how they took on their current meaning. When you learn that the -logy part of etymology almost always means "the study of," that is, in itself, etymology.

Example Sentences

Adam Aleksic, a linguist who posts online as Etymology Nerd, says locking in's origins aren't certain but its use appears to have begun in the early 2000s - particularly in the African American community.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2025

Etymology is the study of how the root of a particular word entered a language and how the use of the word evolved over time.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

With very Copious Exercises, and a Systematic View of the Formation and Derivation of Words, together with Anglo-Saxon, Latin, and Greek Lists, which explain the Etymology of above 7,000 English Words.

From Notes and Queries, Number 218, December 31, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc by Bell, George

It would be, on the contrary, a fact precisely corresponding with the actual and well-known transmutability of speech-sounds into each other as occurs in the phenomena of Etymology and Comparative Philology.

From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 5, No. 5, May, 1864 Devoted To Literature And National Policy by Various

Etymology of Eve.—Only one instance of a reversible name seems to me at present among the propria qu� maribus, and that is Bob.

From Notes and Queries, Number 218, December 31, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc by Bell, George