In a rather recursive manner, I've always wondered where it comes from.
tony_10
[ Editor ]
UPDATE: The following comes from a seemingly more credible source:
- the English word etymology
- derived from the Old French word ethimologie
- derived from the Medieval Latin word ethimologia
- derived from the Latin word etymologia (etymology)
- derived from the Greek word etumologia, ἐτυμολογία
- derived from the Greek word etumon, ἔτυμον (true meaning)
- derived from the Greek word etumos, ἔτυμος
- using the Late Greek suffix -logia, -λογία
- derived from the Greek word logos, λόγος (word, speech, topic, treatise, reasoning)
- derived from the Greek word legein, λέγω (to speak)
- derived from the Greek word logos, λόγος (word, speech, topic, treatise, reasoning)
- derived from the Greek word etumon, ἔτυμον (true meaning)
- derived from the Greek word etumologia, ἐτυμολογία
- derived from the Old French word ethimologie
According to Etymonline.com:
late 14c., from Gk etymologia, from etymon "true sense" (neut. of etymos "true," related to eteos "true") + logos "word." In classical times, of meanings; later, of histories. Latinized by Cicero as veriloquium.
NN comments
draemon
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Nice answer, and link. Does this mean that originally it meant solely the root of the meaning, whereas know it would also include how the word has evolved? If so, it’s even more recursive: the word evolved to include the evolution of words!
tony_10
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My guess is that it was originally used as “true sense” literally – not related to words per se. The meaning then evolved to become “origin of words”. I don’t see the etymology of “etymology” as being recursive really ;)
donald remero
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“Etymologia” is clearly Latin and not Greek. So, the answer should say “from the Latin etymologia, from Greek etymon + logos.”
Also worth noting is that “etymon” is still in the current English lexicon and is used as a noun to denote a source word. Thus the sentence: Etymon is the etymon for etymology. Though, in a weird way, etymology is also the etymon for etymon in English, since etymon entered the language after or by way of etymology.
…a strange type of recursiveness for sure. =)