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- DictionaryWord/wərd/
noun
- 1. a single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing, used with others (or sometimes alone) to form a sentence and typically shown with a space on either side when written or printed: "I don't like the word “unofficial”"
- 2. a command, password, or signal: "someone gave me the word to start playing"
verb
- 1. choose and use particular words in order to say or write (something): "he words his request in a particularly ironic way"
exclamation
- 1. used to express agreement: informal "“That Jay is one dangerous character.” “Word.”"
Learn the origin and history of English words, phrases, and idioms from this comprehensive and reliable source. Explore the map of the wheel-ruts of modern English and the sources used in this compilation.
- Word Origin Stories
Now's a good time to hunt the "uncertain origin" words with...
- Etymology
etymology (n.) etymology. (n.) late 14c., ethimolegia "facts...
- Snakes of Iceland
A Word or Two. IMMODEST DISPOSAL. May 05, 2024 at 6:25 pm;...
- Form
late 14c., name for the god of dreams in Ovid, son of Sleep,...
- Search and Research
By the 1940s people are questioning the origin. There...
- Homing in on Harlequin
Florio’s 1611 Italian-English dictionary doesn’t have the...
- Mandrake Roots
And on yet another, the word flows through the tongue of the...
- Sources
A Word or Two. IMMODEST DISPOSAL. May 05, 2024 at 6:25 pm;...
- The Paragraph
The Northern group "was split up into many vernaculars by...
- Hagiolatry
a fruit of various plants of the genus Rubus, 1620s, earlier...
- Word Origin Stories
Learn the origin and history of words from the study of etymology, a branch of linguistics. Find examples, related phrases, and contrast with entomology.
3 days ago · Learn about the origin and history of English words and phrases from various sources and contexts. Explore the Big List, the Harmless Drudge blog, and the Discussion Forums on Wordorigins.org.
Etymology ( / ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi /, ET-im-OL-ə-jee [1]) is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of a word's semantic meaning across time, including its constituent morphemes and phonemes. [2] [3] It is a subfield of historical linguistics, philology, and semiotics, and draws upon comparative semantics, morphology, pragmatics, and ...
Learn about the history and methods of etymology, the study of word origins and derivation. Explore how linguists use historical and comparative linguistics to reconstruct and classify languages and their changes over time.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn the origins and development of over 3,000 words and phrases in the English language from a trusted source. Explore the fascinating stories behind many of our most curious terms and expressions, from 'handsome' to 'torpedo', and more.
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