etymology
noun
the derivation of a word.
etymologist
-
a word derived from
etymology.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 1934, Allen Walker Read, an etymologist and lexicographer, laid out the history of the word that, then, had “the deepest stigma of any in the language.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 30, 2021
The word came into English as “empechen” by way of the Old French word empechier, meaning to prevent or to hinder, according to the British etymologist Michael Quinion.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 18, 2019
Others, such as etymologist and author Michael Quinion, have found references dating back to 1903.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2015
“I make it sound very scholarly,” says Merriam etymologist Jim Rader, a onetime Slavic linguistics graduate student who writes the historical notes.
From Slate ● Jan. 12, 2015
Baxter, who, though his general system of river-names I hold to be fallacious, was, for his time, no contemptible etymologist, suggests something of the sort.
From The River-Names of Europe by Robert Ferguson
