etymological

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.

The verbs for mattering, importer and compter, have no etymological link to matière.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

“For the Calendar, I wanted to go back to the etymological root of the word ‘muse’.

From Reuters • Nov. 16, 2022

The word was used as early as the 16th century by European travelers in the East Indies, and it may have etymological origins in Arabic, Chinese, Greek and Urdu.

From New York Times • Nov. 2, 2022

I’ll let you, the reader, decide which of these etymological fairy tales you prefer.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2022

Invention, as I mentioned above, has as its etymological root the idea of “coming upon” the available grounds for argument.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith