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.
As the etymologist Anatoly Liberman has pointed out, in its earliest forms, haga, hegg and hegge, the word meant “enclosure” or “yard,” especially the residence of a feudal lord.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
John Kelly, an etymologist and senior research editor at Dictionary.com, wrote in a 2017 post on his etymology website, Mashed Radish.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 18, 2019
As it happens, far from a crusty don, Forsyth isn’t much over 40, according to his bio, and is best known in Britain as a witty etymologist.
From New York Times ● May 30, 2018
“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
Account for the imperfect success of Varro as an etymologist, and illustrate by examples.
From The History of Roman Literature From the earliest period to the death of Marcus Aurelius by Charles Thomas Cruttwell
