etymology
etymology
noun
/ˌetɪˈmɒlədʒi/
(plural etymologies)
1 ​uncountable the study of the origin and history of words and their meanings
TOPICS History C2
Language C2
2 countable the origin and history of a particular word
TOPICS History C2
TOPICS Language C2
Word Origin
late Middle English: from Old French ethimologie, via Latin from Greek etumologia, from etumologos ‘student of etymology’, from etumon, neuter singular of etumos ‘true’.