How to Study the Etymology of Words
Find a good etymological dictionary., Look for the roots., Trace the word’s journey into English., Understand the dates., Check the examples and sources.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find a good etymological dictionary.
To start informally studying etymology, buy or gain access to an authoritative dictionary that includes the linguistic origins of words in its definitions.
The easiest way to tell that it does is if it has, “etymological” in the title.
However, it may still include etymologies even if it does not.
Check a definition to see if there is a section labeled “origin” or “etymology.” The most respected print dictionaries for English’s etymology include An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, and The Oxford English Dictionary.
The last also has an online subscription option.
There is also a free, well-researched online dictionary that’s specifically dedicated to etymology, available here: http://www.etymonline.com/ -
Step 2: Look for the roots.
Etymologies seek the earliest origin of a word by tracing it back to its most basic components, that is, the simple words that were combined to create it in the first place.
When you know the roots of a word, you can better understand how we arrived at the sound and meaning for the word that exist today.For instance, the word “etymology” itself has Greek roots: “etymos,” which means, “true sense,” and “logia,” which means, “study of.”Besides helping you to understand the origin of a word, knowing its roots can help you understand other words with similar roots.
In the case of “etymology,” you’ll note that the root “logia,” which means “the study of,” appears in multiple other places in modern English, from “biology” to “astrology.” , Etymology traces not only the word’s origins but also how its meanings and spellings have developed over time.
Sometimes that means that a word has traveled through more than one language on its journey into modern English.Etymological dictionaries will usually present this trajectory in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent usage and showing where each iteration came from in turn.
If we return to the word “etymology,” it entered into Old English as ethimolegia ("facts of the origin and development of a word"), from Old French etimologie, ethimologie, from Latin etymologia, from Greek etymologia ("analysis of a word to find its true origin").
So, it appeared in the written record of three languages (Greek, Latin, and French) before it entered into English. , Most etymologies will include dates in their origins of words.
These represent the first time a particular word appeared in a document written in English. (Keep in mind that a word may well have existed in spoken English a long time before that, but this is the date of the first written record of it that has survived.)For example, “etymology” entered English in the 14th century but did not take on its modern spelling and definition until the 1640s., Thorough etymological dictionaries will often include documentary sources for each iteration of a word and/or examples of how a word has been used in context over time, usually through a phrase or sentence from a written document in English.
This provides concrete historical evidence for the word’s origins while giving you insight into how its meaning has changed.For instance, the word “queen” comes from the Middle English “quene,” which can be seen in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and the Old English “cwen,” which appears in Beowulf. -
Step 3: Trace the word’s journey into English.
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Step 4: Understand the dates.
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Step 5: Check the examples and sources.
Detailed Guide
To start informally studying etymology, buy or gain access to an authoritative dictionary that includes the linguistic origins of words in its definitions.
The easiest way to tell that it does is if it has, “etymological” in the title.
However, it may still include etymologies even if it does not.
Check a definition to see if there is a section labeled “origin” or “etymology.” The most respected print dictionaries for English’s etymology include An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, and The Oxford English Dictionary.
The last also has an online subscription option.
There is also a free, well-researched online dictionary that’s specifically dedicated to etymology, available here: http://www.etymonline.com/
Etymologies seek the earliest origin of a word by tracing it back to its most basic components, that is, the simple words that were combined to create it in the first place.
When you know the roots of a word, you can better understand how we arrived at the sound and meaning for the word that exist today.For instance, the word “etymology” itself has Greek roots: “etymos,” which means, “true sense,” and “logia,” which means, “study of.”Besides helping you to understand the origin of a word, knowing its roots can help you understand other words with similar roots.
In the case of “etymology,” you’ll note that the root “logia,” which means “the study of,” appears in multiple other places in modern English, from “biology” to “astrology.” , Etymology traces not only the word’s origins but also how its meanings and spellings have developed over time.
Sometimes that means that a word has traveled through more than one language on its journey into modern English.Etymological dictionaries will usually present this trajectory in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent usage and showing where each iteration came from in turn.
If we return to the word “etymology,” it entered into Old English as ethimolegia ("facts of the origin and development of a word"), from Old French etimologie, ethimologie, from Latin etymologia, from Greek etymologia ("analysis of a word to find its true origin").
So, it appeared in the written record of three languages (Greek, Latin, and French) before it entered into English. , Most etymologies will include dates in their origins of words.
These represent the first time a particular word appeared in a document written in English. (Keep in mind that a word may well have existed in spoken English a long time before that, but this is the date of the first written record of it that has survived.)For example, “etymology” entered English in the 14th century but did not take on its modern spelling and definition until the 1640s., Thorough etymological dictionaries will often include documentary sources for each iteration of a word and/or examples of how a word has been used in context over time, usually through a phrase or sentence from a written document in English.
This provides concrete historical evidence for the word’s origins while giving you insight into how its meaning has changed.For instance, the word “queen” comes from the Middle English “quene,” which can be seen in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and the Old English “cwen,” which appears in Beowulf.
About the Author
Alexis Stevens
Creates helpful guides on practical skills to inspire and educate readers.
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