etymology
History of words
Etymology is the study of word origins—where words come from and how their meanings have changed over time.
The etymology of a particular word is its history: The etymology of "salary" traces back to Roman soldiers being paid in salt.
Linguists and lexicographers use etymology to explain why words mean what they do and how unrelated-seeming meanings connect.
Smallest meaningful language unit
- prefixRoot-modifying front element
- suffixWord-ending addition
- rootUnderground absorbing structure
- stemPlant's central axis
affix · cognate · proto-language · phoneme · lexeme · inflection · derivation · compound
Study of historical texts
- paleographyStudy of ancient handwriting
- manuscriptsHandwritten or typed originals
- deciphermentInterpreting unknown scripts
- inscriptionText permanently marked
cuneiform · hieroglyphics · scrolls · papyrus · tablets · antiquity · ancient languages · dead language
Alphabetical word reference
- glossaryAlphabetical list with definitions
- lexiconVocabulary of a language
- entryAccess or submission
- definitionStatement of meaning
headword · lemma · thesaurus · cross-reference · pronunciation · terminology · concordance · lexicographer
Predecessor in lineage
- genesisPoint of creation
- sourcePoint of origin
- provenanceRecord of ownership
- derivationSource or origin tracing
roots · birthplace · inception · cradle · descent · fount · beginning · fountainhead
morpheme
Smallest meaningful language unit
stem · affix · cognate · proto-language · phoneme · lexeme · inflection · derivation · compound · borrowing
philology
Study of historical texts
- paleographyStudy of ancient handwriting
- manuscriptsHandwritten or typed originals
- deciphermentInterpreting unknown scripts
inscription · cuneiform · hieroglyphics · scrolls · papyrus · tablets · antiquity · ancient languages · dead language · reconstruction
dictionary
Alphabetical word reference
definition · headword · lemma · thesaurus · cross-reference · pronunciation · terminology · concordance · lexicographer · reference
ancestor
Predecessor in lineage
- genesisPoint of creation
- sourcePoint of origin
- provenanceRecord of ownership
derivation · roots · birthplace · inception · cradle · descent · fount · beginning · fountainhead · nascence
- languagelanguage, word, words, grammar, spelling
- Language & Wordstranslation, grammar, vocabulary, phonetics, dialects
- language termsgrammar, word, vocabulary, syntax, synonym
- literature and languagepoetry, prose, fiction, grammar, syntax
- intellectual hobbiesreading, writing, chess, puzzles, languages
- linguisticslinguistics, phoneme, phonemes, morpheme, morphemes
etymologyneology
Creating fresh vocabulary
coinage · conclusion · outcome · destination
- false etymologyInvented origin story for words
etymological, etymologist, etymologies, etymologists, etymologically