n. (pl. -ies)
1. a the historically verifiable sources of the formation of a word and the development of its meaning. b an account of these.
2 the branch of linguistic science concerned with etymologies.
Derivatives:
etymological adj. etymologically adv. etymologist n.
Etymology: OF ethimologie f. L etymologia f. Gk etumologia (as ETYMON, -LOGY)