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.

For example, prompts that encourage models to think about word origins and structure using etymology lead to more unexpected associations and higher creativity scores.

From Science Daily • Jan. 25, 2026

But both etymology and history suggest something more complicated.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026

Among the notes included in the “Furlough’s Paradise” script is an etymology of the word “furlough” — as in, “permission, liberty granted to do something.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2025

Not because those words aren’t fitting descriptors for Ani, but because she’s far more complex than a couple of attributes you can pull from the etymology section of a mommy blog.

From Salon • Oct. 18, 2024

The etymology of the term ‘jazz’ is hotly debated but the most likely derivation is from a non-musical nineteenth-century slang word, jasm, meaning energy, vigour or liveliness.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall