Etymology
Discover the fascinating origins and history of words - where they came from and how their meanings evolved.
What is Etymology?
Etymology is the study of the origin and historical development of words. It traces how words entered a language, how their meanings have changed over time, and what other languages influenced them.
The word "etymology" itself comes from Greek: etymon (meaning "true sense") and -logia (meaning "study of").
Fascinating Word Origins
Quarantine
Original Word: quaranta (forty)
Meaning: Originally a 40-day period ships had to wait before passengers could go ashore during the plague
Fun Fact: The number 40 has historical significance in many cultures and religions.
Salary
Original Word: salarium (salt money)
Meaning: Roman soldiers were paid in salt, which was extremely valuable
Fun Fact: This is also where we get the phrase "worth one's salt."
Helicopter
Original Word: helix (spiral) + pteron (wing)
Meaning: Not "heli-copter" but "helico-pter" - spiral wing
Fun Fact: The word was coined before the first working helicopter was built!
Avocado
Original Word: āhuacatl (testicle)
Meaning: Named for the shape of the fruit
Fun Fact: Spanish speakers changed it to "aguacate" to make it less awkward.
Candidate
Original Word: candidatus (clothed in white)
Meaning: Roman political candidates wore white togas to symbolize purity
Fun Fact: The word "candid" comes from the same root, meaning pure or sincere.
Nightmare
Original Word: mare (evil spirit)
Meaning: Originally a "mare" was a demon that sat on sleepers' chests
Fun Fact: Has nothing to do with horses! The "mare" comes from an Old English word for demon.
Muscle
Original Word: musculus (little mouse)
Meaning: Romans thought flexed muscles looked like mice moving under the skin
Fun Fact: The same root gives us "mussel" - the shellfish that looks like a little mouse.
Sinister
Original Word: sinister (left, on the left side)
Meaning: Left-handedness was considered unlucky in ancient Rome
Fun Fact: The word "dexter" (meaning right) gave us "dexterous" with a positive connotation.
Robot
Original Word: robota (forced labor)
Meaning: Coined by Czech writer Karel Čapek in his 1920 play R.U.R.
Fun Fact: It was actually Čapek's brother Josef who suggested the word.
Dashboard
Original Word: dash + board
Meaning: Originally a board on the front of a carriage to protect from mud "dashed up" by horses' hooves
Fun Fact: When cars replaced carriages, the name stuck even though there were no horses!
Disaster
Original Word: dis (bad) + astro (star)
Meaning: Literally "bad star" - when astrology blamed misfortune on unfavorable planetary positions
Fun Fact: Reflects the ancient belief that stars and planets controlled human fate.
Butterfly
Original Word: Unknown origin
Meaning: Possibly from yellow butterflies common around butter churns, or from old belief that butterflies stole butter
Fun Fact: Many other languages use words meaning "flutter by" or name them after the appearance.
Sources of English Words
English is a linguistic melting pot, having borrowed words from hundreds of languages throughout history. Here's where English words come from:
Latin/Romance
~29%Words from Latin and Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian)
Examples: education, communication, beautiful, important
Germanic
~26%Old English, Old Norse, German, and Dutch origins
Examples: house, water, strong, good, make
French
~29%Norman French and Modern French
Examples: government, justice, art, literature
Greek
~6%Ancient and Modern Greek
Examples: philosophy, biology, democracy, telephone
Other Languages
~10%Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, Indigenous languages, etc.
Examples: algebra (Arabic), jungle (Hindi), tsunami (Japanese)
Why Study Etymology?
- Better understand word meanings and nuances
- Improve spelling by understanding word roots
- Expand vocabulary through root word families
- Discover connections between languages
- Learn about history and culture through language
Common Word Roots
-ology (Greek): study of → biology, psychology
bene- (Latin): good → benefit, benevolent
auto- (Greek): self → automobile, automatic
-port (Latin): carry → transport, portable
-phobia (Greek): fear → claustrophobia
Interesting Etymology Facts
- English has one of the largest vocabularies of any language, with over 170,000 words in current use
- About 80% of English words are borrowed from other languages
- The Norman Conquest of 1066 massively influenced English, adding thousands of French words
- Many English words have changed meaning completely - "nice" originally meant "foolish" in the 1300s
- Some words are "backronyms" - acronyms created after the fact, like "posh" (NOT from "port out, starboard home")
- The word "set" has the most definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary
- Shakespeare invented or popularized over 1,700 words, including "bedroom," "lonely," and "eyeball"