What is the Etymology of Etymology?
Hello,
Perhaps the current heatwave in Ireland is melting my brain but this week I need to know the word history of etymology itself. The history of history, so to speak.
The Merriam Webster dictionary provides a long definition of etymology which I will summarise as – the history of word including its earliest recorded use, following its transmission from one language to another. They also warn sternly about mixing up etymology and entomology (the study of insects). Yes, I agree, that never ends well.
Did you know that the Greek philosopher Socrates was a fan of etymology? He saw the task as being decoding a word to find the message the ancient namegivers had placed inside it. I’m not entirely sure we had ancient namegivers, and it certainly wouldn’t work for the many words we’ve acquired since ancient Greek times, but I can understand why he held that belief as many of the Greek words I’ve explored have linked back to myths about Greek gods and goddesses – zephyr, for example.
In classical times, etymologists, both Christian and pagan, based their theories on allegory and guesswork thanks to a lack of records (what with dictionaries and the printing press yet to be invented). Etymology was mocked as a result with Gustave Flaubert writing in the 1870s claiming etymology was “the easiest thing in the world with the help of Latin and a little ingenuity.” After two years tracing the influence of Old Norse on modern English I would like to give old Flaubert a piece of my mind on that topic.
When did the word etymology enter the English language? Ethimolegia arrived in the late 1300s from Old French etimologie via Latin etymologia, and ultimately Greek etymologia (the study of the true sense of a word). This word was compounded in Greek from the suffix -logia (the study of) and etymon (true sense or meaning). Etymon is related to the word eteos (true). It is interesting that the inherent meaning at this point was about truth and meaning, as Socrates had claimed, rather than about history which is more the understanding we hold of etymology today. However, if you study the etymology of enough words you will come to accept that meanings often change over time.
By the mid 1400s etymology in English had become the story or history of a word and by the 1640s is was being described as part of linguistic science.
Until next time happy reading, writing, and wordfooling. Let me know if you find the “ancient namegivers”, I’d love a chat with them.
Grace (@Wordfoolery)
