entry
etymology
/ˌɛtəˈmɑːlədʒi/Study of word origins and historical development
From Greek etymo- (true sense).
from Ancient Greek ἐτυμολογία (etumología)
from Middle English ethymologie
Word Ancestry
from Ancient Greek ἐτυμολογία (etumología)
from Middle English ethymologie
Long before etymology became a scientific discipline, Greek thinkers treated a word like a sealed message from the ancient namegivers: crack it open, and you might find its “true” meaning inside. The Greek expression joined ἔτυμον, “true sense,” to λόγος, “word” or “account”—so etymology was essentially an investigation into true-speaking. Cicero Latinized the idea as veriloquium, a wonderfully transparent phrase that sounds like a courtroom witness testifying about a word. Medieval scholars often guessed wildly, and the subject spent centuries acquiring a reputation for cleverness rather than evidence; Flaubert later joked that it was the easiest thing in the world with Latin and a little ingenuity. By the 1640s, however, etymology was emerging as the historical study of how words actually change. Remember the core image: an etymologist is not merely defining a word but dusting off its travel documents.
The Story
Long before etymology became a scientific discipline, Greek thinkers treated a word like a sealed message from the ancient namegivers: crack it open, and you might find its “true” meaning inside. The Greek expression joined ἔτυμον, “true sense,” to λόγος, “word” or “account”—so etymology was essentially an investigation into true-speaking. Cicero Latinized the idea as veriloquium, a wonderfully transparent phrase that sounds like a courtroom witness testifying about a word. Medieval scholars often guessed wildly, and the subject spent centuries acquiring a reputation for cleverness rather than evidence; Flaubert later joked that it was the easiest thing in the world with Latin and a little ingenuity. By the 1640s, however, etymology was emerging as the historical study of how words actually change. Remember the core image: an etymologist is not merely defining a word but dusting off its travel documents.
Modern Usage
A supposedly useless subject or piece of information, used dismissively.
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entry using etymology as something “absolutely useless”
Kin & Kindred
From 'etymo-'·true sense; original meaning
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From '-logy'·study, discourse, account, or theory
Derived Terms
English words from this root