etymology

== English == === Etymology === 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”). Equivalent to etymon +‎ -ology. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ĕt'ĭ-mŏlʹə-jē; IPA(key): /ˌɛtɪˈmɒləd͡ʒi/ (Canada) enPR: ĕt'ə-mŏʹlə-jē; IPA(key): /ˌɛtəˈmɒləd͡ʒi/, [ˌɛɾəˈmɒləd͡ʒi] (General American) enPR: ĕt'ə-mŏʹlə-jē; IPA(key): /ˌɛtəˈmɑləd͡ʒi/, [ˌɛɾəˈmɑləd͡ʒi] (General Australian, New Zealand) enPR: ĕt'ə-mŏlʹə-jē; IPA(key): /ˌetəˈmɔləd͡ʒi/, [ˌeɾəˈmɔləd͡ʒi] (India) enPR: ĕt'ĭ-mŏlʹə-jē; IPA(key): /ˌetɪˈmɒləd͡ʒi/, [ˌeʈɪˈmɔləd͡ʒi], [ˌeʈɪˈmaləd͡ʒi] (General South African) enPR: ĕt'ə-mŏlʹə-jē; IPA(key): /ˌetəˈmɑləd͡ʒi/, [ˌetɘˈmɑləd͡ʒi] Hyphenation: e‧ty‧mo‧lo‧gy Rhymes: -ɒlədʒi === Noun === etymology (countable and uncountable, plural etymologies) (uncountable, linguistics) The scientific study of the origin and evolution of a word's semantic meaning across time, including its constituent morphemes and phonemes. Holonyms: historical linguistics < linguistics (countable) The entire catalogue of meanings that a word, morpheme, or sign has carried throughout its history. (countable) An account of the origin and historical development of a word as presented in a dictionary or the like. Synonym: derivation (countable) The direct origin of a name, as in who someone was named after. ==== Usage notes ==== Not to be confused with entomology (“the study of insects”) or etiology (“the study of causes or origins”). Not to be confused with the origin of the object or person to which the word refers. ==== Hyponyms ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === See also === === References === “etymology”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN. “etymology”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present. "etymology" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.