etymon
Linguistic root form
An etymon is the word or morpheme from which a later word derives.
When linguists trace a word's history, they identify its etymon—the earlier form that gave rise to it.
A word may have multiple etyma if it developed from several sources, and the etymon itself may be reconstructed rather than attested in written records.
The Latin "aqua" is the etymon of the French "eau."
Underground absorbing structure
- ancestorPredecessor in lineage
- progenitorAncestor or originator
- sourcePoint of origin
- cognateWord sharing etymological origin
descendant · borrowing · loanword · calque · reflex · doublet · inherited · stem
Smallest meaningful language unit
- lexemeFundamental dictionary unit
- protolanguageReconstructed ancestral language
- reconstructionRebuilding after destruction
- diachronicConcerning change over time
synchronic · phoneme · ablaut · umlaut · borrowing · substrate · attestation · reflex
Study of ancient handwriting
- manuscriptOriginal text before publication
- epigraphyStudy of ancient inscriptions
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
- palimpsestReused writing surface, traces remain
recension · vulgate · attestation · inscription · classical · medieval · Sanskrit · Latin
Alphabetical word reference
- entryAccess or submission
- definitionStatement of meaning
- lexiconVocabulary of a language
- glossaryAlphabetical list with definitions
attestation · citation · dating · headword · lemma · cross-reference · OED · documentation
root
Underground absorbing structure
- ancestorPredecessor in lineage
- progenitorAncestor or originator
- sourcePoint of origin
cognate · descendant · borrowing · loanword · calque · reflex · doublet · inherited · stem · base
morpheme
Smallest meaningful language unit
- lexemeFundamental dictionary unit
- protolanguageReconstructed ancestral language
- reconstructionRebuilding after destruction
diachronic · synchronic · phoneme · ablaut · umlaut · borrowing · substrate · attestation · reflex · correspondence
paleography
Study of ancient handwriting
- manuscriptOriginal text before publication
- epigraphyStudy of ancient inscriptions
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
palimpsest · recension · vulgate · attestation · inscription · classical · medieval · Sanskrit · Latin · Greek
dictionary
Alphabetical word reference
- entryAccess or submission
- definitionStatement of meaning
- lexiconVocabulary of a language
glossary · attestation · citation · dating · headword · lemma · cross-reference · OED · documentation · corpus
etymonderivative
Function's rate of change
descendant · reflex · borrowing · loanword · neologism
- false etymologyInvented origin story for words
etymology, etymological, etymologist, etymologies, etymologically, etymologizing