etymologist
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.
As the etymologist Anatoly Liberman has pointed out, in its earliest forms, haga, hegg and hegge, the word meant “enclosure” or “yard,” especially the residence of a feudal lord.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
The word came into English as “empechen” by way of the Old French word empechier, meaning to prevent or to hinder, according to the British etymologist Michael Quinion.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 18, 2019
I’m no etymologist; I don’t know when that exclamation point became a question mark and was wrapped in sarcasm.
From New York Times ● Oct. 1, 2012
It’s often impossible to definitively determine a phrase’s linguistic birthplace, but based on the digging of etymologist Barry Popik, the phrase seems to have originated in the graffiti community of Oakland, California.
From Slate
I am not enough of an etymologist to give you the root of the word "noise."
From Notes and Queries, Number 30, May 25, 1850 by Various
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