what etymology means
etymology. 1. The study of the origins and development of words. 2. The study of the history of words, tracing them back to their earliest recorded forms.
The word etymology is derived from the Greek etumos which means real or true. The ending ology suggests the study/science of something, as in biology or geology. And that is the etymology of etymology.It is the study of the origins of words; how they evolved.f course not all words are derived from Ancient Greek. The English language is a rich mixture of many languages, and that is what makes its etymology so interesting. In the Interesting Etymology section you can learn how many words came about, particularly those with amusing origins.