What is Etymology?

Etymology is the study of the history of words. It can be used to trace the origins of a word, and to find out how a word has changed over time.

Etymologists often use old texts, such as the Oxford English Dictionary, to find out about the history of a word. They may also use other sources, such as books on the history of language.

It can be used to help understand the meaning of a word. For example, the word ‘etymology’ comes from the Greek etymon, meaning ‘true sense’. So, when you look up the etymology of a word, you are looking for its true sense.

It can also be used to help understand the history of a culture. For example, the word ‘sauna’ comes from the Finnish word sauna, which means ‘bath’. So, we can see that the Finns have a long tradition of taking baths.

Etymology is a useful tool for anyone who wants to find out more about words and their origins.