etymology

• Nom désignant l'étude de l'origine et de l'histoire des mots, y compris leurs racines, préfixes, suffixes et l'évolution de leurs significations au fil du temps.

A noun referring to the study of the origin and historical development of words, including their roots, prefixes, suffixes, and changes in meaning over time.

1. Study of word originsB2formal

   The study of the origin and historical development of words and their meanings.

   étymologie (étude de l'origine des mots)

   • She is studying the etymology of English words.
   • The etymology of 'etymology' comes from Greek.
   • Linguists often research the etymology of ancient terms.

   Synonymesderivation

2. Origin of a specific wordB2formal

   The origin and historical development of a particular word.

   Étymologie d'un mot

   • The etymology of 'pizza' traces back to Italian.
   • He looked up the etymology of 'philosophy' in the dictionary.
   • The word 'robot' has a fascinating etymology from Czech.

   Synonymesderivationoriginrootsource