Added 1 October 2026
etymology
/ˌɛtɪˈmɒləd͡ʒi/ noun
In Latin: etymologia Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about etymology at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The scientific study of the origin and evolution of a word's semantic meaning across time, including its constituent morphemes and phonemes.
-
The entire catalogue of meanings that a word, morpheme, or sign has carried throughout its history.
Although written the same, the words lead (the metal) and lead (the verb) have totally different etymologies.
- An account of the origin and historical development of a word as presented in a dictionary or the like.
Origin
From Middle English ethymologie, from Old French ethimologie, from Latin etymologia, from Ancient Greek ἐτυμολογία (etumología), from ἔτυμον (étumon, “true sense”) and -λογία (-logía, “study or logic of”), from λόγος (lógos, “word; explanation”). By surface analysis, etymo- + -logy.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)