1 : an explanation of where a word came from : the history of a word According to its etymology, the English word "dope" comes from the Dutch word "doop" (which means "sauce"). Several different etymologies have been proposed. 2 : the study of word histories an expert in etymology.

What is the meaning of the term etymology?

Etymology is the study of the origins of words. The English language is living and growing. Although many of our words have been part of our language for many years, new words are added all the time.

What is an example of an etymology?

The definition of etymology is the source of a word, or the study of the source of specific words. An example of etymology is tracing a word back to its Latin roots.