Etymologically
/ˌɛt.ɪ.məˈlɒdʒ.ɪ.kli/noun
In a way that relates to the origin and historical development of a word.
Did you know?It ultimately comes from Greek etymon, meaning “true sense” or “literal meaning,” so etymology was originally the search for a word’s “truth.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
etymon
“the true sense or original meaning of a word”
Ancient Greek
Greek
etymologia
“the study of the true sense of words”
Late Latin
Latin
etymologia
“etymology, the interpretation of words by their origins”
Middle English
English
etimologie
“the study of word origins and meanings”
14th-16th Century
English
etymologically
“in a manner relating to the origin and history of words”
Modern English
English
etymologically
“with reference to etymology or word origin”