etymology

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etymology

Etymology: Gk, etymos, base; L, logos, words

the study of the origin and development of words.

etymology

(ĕt″ĭ-mŏl′ō-jē) [L. etymon, origin of a word, + logos, word, reason]

The science of the origin and development of words. Most medical words are derived from Latin and Greek, but many of those from Greek have come through Latin and have been modified by it. Generally, when two Greek words are used to form one word, they are connected by the letter “o.” Many medical words have been formed from one or more roots—forms used or adapted from Latin or Greek—and many are modified by a prefix, a suffix, or both. A knowledge of important Latin and Greek roots and prefixes will reveal the meanings of many other words.

See: ;

References in periodicals archive ?

Finally, it should be noted that a number of scholars do not mention any Greek source in discussions of [square root of (term)]prns and so presumably, though not explicitly, accept a Semitic etymology for it.

The etymology of Aramaic (and Hebrew) [square root of (term)]prns 'to distribute, supply'

While no generally accepted previous examples of such a change are known, it does have an obvious parallel in the next etymology (4): PMari *lewa ~ *liwa'warm'< PU *lampi 'warm'.

Studies in Uralic etymology III: Mari etymologies

For example, Melanie drew on her meteorological background in one article to explain the classification of clouds and the etymology of their names ("cumulus," for instance, is derived from the Latin word for "little heap").

Etymology sites attract word lovers

As others have made clear in previous issues, this is almost never true, to the extent that the first rule of etymology is never to believe an acronymic origin unless presented with incontrovertible evidence to the contrary.

Emails to an etymologist

Podium: Here's another case of ignoring obvious etymology, using podium in place of lectern.

A rant against illogical, but widely accepted, language misusages

The assertion that the etymology of the word eunuch altered from 'guardian of the bed' to 'well-minded' to reflect the more positive view of eunuchs in the middle Byzantine empire can be questioned as it is apparently found in the fourth century (P.

The Perfect Servant: Eunuchs and the Social Construction of Gender in Byzantium

The Japanese researchers who dubbed a pachyderm secretion to be "hipposudoric acid" seem to know more about biochemistry than about etymology ("Red Sweat: Hippo skin oozes antibiotic sunscreen," SN: 5/29/04, p.

Common hippo sense

But you have to split it into molly and coddle to discover its etymology.

Answer to Kev's question

Rinaldi also suggests that the etymology "homo-humus" found in Tertullian and Lactantius prefigures the final transformation of Momus, whose choleric nature he links both to Alberti's personal emblem of the lion and to the God of Lactantius's De ira Dei.

Studi sulle fonti di Leon Battista Alberti

Marlatt uses etymology to evoke the lush multiplicity of meaning and desire in language, "discovering life in old roots.

Classic desire for poetry

Teachers and students studying etymology at all levels will enjoy it.

Cutler, Charles L. Tracks that speak; the legacy of Native American words in North American culture

In his introduction, Dickson-Carr states, "If the etymology of 'satire' begins with the Latin satura--a mix--then the satirical novel sits atop the generic mountain, mixing everything below it.