Using a Dictionary and Etymology

Using a Dictionary

• A dictionary is a book containing alphabetically ordered words with their meanings, pronunciations, and sometimes sentence examples.
• Dictionaries are useful for understanding unfamiliar words while reading or writing.
• Looking up a word like 'enormous' in a dictionary will reveal its meaning as 'very large' or 'huge'.
• Dictionaries can also be used to check spelling for school assignments.

Etymology

• Etymology is the study of word origins and their evolving meanings.
• Knowing etymology helps understand how words have developed.
• Foreign words come from other languages, like the English word 'piano' from the Italian 'pianoforte'.
• Clipped words are shortened versions, like 'phone' from 'telephone'.
• Blended words are combinations of two words, such as 'brunch' from 'breakfast' and 'lunch'.
• An acronym is a word formed from initial letters of other words, pronounced as a single word, like 'NASA' standing for 'National Aeronautics and Space Administration'.