etymology

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Adam Aleksic, a linguist who posts online as Etymology Nerd, says locking in's origins aren't certain but its use appears to have begun in the early 2000s - particularly in the African American community.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2025

Etymology is the study of how the root of a particular word entered a language and how the use of the word evolved over time.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Combining Explanation with Etymology, and copiously illustrated by Quotations from the best authorities.

From The Dramatic Works of G. E. Lessing Miss Sara Sampson, Philotas, Emilia Galotti, Nathan the Wise by Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim

On the other hand, by “Grammar” is now more commonly meant, as Johnson defines it, “the art of using words properly,” and it “comprises four parts—Orthography, Etymology, Syntax, and Prosody.”

From The Idea of a University Defined and Illustrated: In Nine Discourses Delivered to the Catholics of Dublin by Newman, John Henry

Etymology, which has thus brushed away what one might have taken to be a thoroughly characteristic expression, also supplies a matter-of-fact explanation for another modification of the phrase.

From A Cursory History of Swearing by Sharman, Julian