Etymology
Tracing linguistic roots
Etymology is the study of word origins—where words come from and how their meanings have changed over time.
The etymology of a word traces it back through earlier forms and languages: English *beef* comes from Old French, which borrowed it from Latin.
Etymology can illuminate why words mean what they do, why English has so many synonyms from different source languages, and how meanings drift across centuries.
Starting point or source
- derivationSource or origin tracing
- rootUnderground absorbing structure
- morphemeSmallest meaningful language unit
- cognateWord sharing etymological origin
lexicon · philology · semantics · borrowed · loanword · calque · affix · prefix
Perception or judgment
- definitionStatement of meaning
- connotationImplied sense, not dictionary
- denotationWord's explicit dictionary meaning
- ameliorationMaking something less bad
pejoration · broadening · narrowing · metaphor · metonymy · doublet · backformation · blend
Very old indeed
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
- classicalOf ancient Greece/Rome
- LatinAncient Roman language
- GreekOf Athenian origin
Sanskrit · Germanic · Indo-European · Old English · Middle English · Norman · Anglo-Saxon · Frankish
origin
Starting point or source
- derivationSource or origin tracing
- rootUnderground absorbing structure
- morphemeSmallest meaningful language unit
cognate · lexicon · philology · semantics · borrowed · loanword · calque · affix · prefix · suffix
sense
Perception or judgment
- definitionStatement of meaning
- connotationImplied sense, not dictionary
- denotationWord's explicit dictionary meaning
amelioration · pejoration · broadening · narrowing · metaphor · metonymy · doublet · backformation · blend · portmanteau
ancient
Very old indeed
Greek · Sanskrit · Germanic · Indo-European · Old English · Middle English · Norman · Anglo-Saxon · Frankish · Celtic
research
Systematic fact-finding effort
- dictionaryAlphabetical word reference
- OEDAuthoritative English dictionary abbreviation
- sourcePoint of origin
ancestor · descent · lineage · family · tree · branch · pathway · connection · influence · borrowing
Etymologysyntax
Rules for arranging words
grammar · phonology · pragmatics · phonetics · morphology
- false etymologyInvented origin story for words