Etymology Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is Etymology?

Etymology is the study of the origin and history of a word, its meaning and usage. It can involve tracing the words back to their original source language or researching how it changed over time. Etymology serves as an important tool for understanding a language’s history and culture.The word etymology comes from Greek ἐτυμολογία (etumología), which means true sense or truth of a word. This term was first used by Isidore of Seville in his work Etymologiae, a 20-volume encyclopedia of words written in 6th century AD Spain. The book attempted to trace each word back to its origin, often giving multiple possible origins for each entry. Isidore believed that knowing the true meaning behind any given word would help with understanding its proper usage in language and literature. His work served as an early foundation for modern linguistic studies and has been essential in helping scholars piece together the story of languages over time.Throughout history, etymology has been used to better understand various languages today and their connections with ancient ones such as Latin, Greek, Arabic, Sanskrit or Hebrew. Through this process we can learn about changes in pronunciation or spelling over time; see how different cultures have influenced language; identify loanwords from other languages; understand why certain words exist; recognize patterns among related words; and more. For example, by studying English etymology we find out that many words are derived from French due to Norman Conquest during 11th century AD when English was replaced by Old French as official language for some centuries before merging these two languages into Middle English dialects like East Midland one which evolved into Modern English itself nowadays known worldwide not only as British but also American variety popularized through Hollywood movies & TV shows produced at both sides across Atlantic Ocean plus also many other countries around world where it’s taught at schools & universities partially because it’s considered most popular global communication means along Spanish being second most common shared globally instead wherefore studying etymology helps us comprehend why this situation nowadays occurs even though there are some 6500 spoken worldwide yet English still considered major key element when comes international communication among people belong different nations all over our planet Earth after all.