Etymology: Word Origins and Definitions

Etymology

• Etymology examines a word's history, origin, and its evolution over time.

Acronym

• An acronym combines initial letters from multiple words to form a new term, such as KSA, USA, UK, ARE, CD, DVD, USB.

Compounding

• Compounding creates a new term by merging two existing words, examples include bookcase, doorknob, good-looking, low-paid, and fast-food restaurant.

Neologism

• Neologisms are newly created words that describe contemporary concepts or ideas.

Borrowing (Loan Words)

• Loan words are terms adopted from other languages, examples include piano, tattoo, and yogurt.

Coinage

• Coinage refers to the invention of new words, often derived from trade names that become generic, such as aspirin, nylon, vaseline, and zipper.

Eponyms

• Eponyms are derived from names of people or places, for instance, sandwich (John Montagu), Fahrenheit, volt, and watt.

Loan Translation (Calque)

• A calque involves translating the components of a foreign term directly into the borrowing language, as seen in skyscraper translated to French (gratte-ciel) and German (Wolkenkratzer).

Blending

• Blending mixes parts of two words to create a new term, like brunch (breakfast + lunch), motel (motor + hotel), and telecast (television + broadcast).

Clipping

• Clipping shortens a longer term to create a new word, such as phone from telephone.

Hypocorisms

• Hypocorisms turn longer words into diminutive forms by shortening them to a single syllable and adding -y or -ie, leading to terms like movie (from moving pictures) and telly (from television).

Backformation

• Backformation occurs when a noun is reduced to form a different word class, typically a verb, as in television becoming televise.

Conversion

• Conversion shifts a word's function without altering its form, where nouns can become verbs, like in the case of phrasal verbs (to print out, to take over).

Derivation

• Derivation traces a word back to its original root or primitive form, often through adding affixes to alter meaning.

Root

• The root of a word is its core component that conveys meaning.

Prefix

• A prefix is a small element added before the root to modify its meaning.

Suffix

• A suffix is attached after the root, altering how the word is used.

Infixes

• Infixes are affixes inserted within a word, exemplified by terms like godtripledammit and absogoddamlutely.

Test your knowledge on etymology with this flashcard quiz. Explore the origins of words, their transformations, and specific linguistic concepts like acronyms and compounding. This quiz is perfect for anyone interested in the rich history of language.