Associations to the word «Etymology»

Wiktionary

ETYMOLOGY, noun. (uncountable) The study of the historical development of languages, particularly as manifested in individual words.
ETYMOLOGY, noun. (countable) An account of the origin and historical development of a word.

Dictionary definition

ETYMOLOGY, noun. A history of a word.
ETYMOLOGY, noun. The study of the sources and development of words.

Wise words

A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and time in which it is used.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.