etymology

noun

et·​y·​mol·​o·​gy

ˌe-tə-ˈmä-lə-jē How to pronounce etymology (audio)

plural etymologies

1

: the history of a linguistic form (such as a word) shown by tracing its development since its earliest recorded occurrence in the language where it is found, by tracing its transmission from one language to another, by analyzing it into its compon... See more