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Etymology ( / ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi /, ET-im-OL-ə-jee [1]) is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of a word's semantic meaning across time, including its constituent morphemes and phonemes. [2] [3] It is a subfield of historical linguistics, philology, and semiotics, and draws upon comparative semantics, morphology, pragmatics, and ...
The Online Etymology Dictionary or Etymonline, sometimes abbreviated as OED (not to be confused with the Oxford English Dictionary, which the site often cites), is a free online dictionary that describes the origins of English words, written and compiled by Douglas R. Harper. [1]
A mondegreen ( / ˈmɒndɪˌɡriːn /) is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning. [1] Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song; the listener, being unable to hear a lyric clearly, substitutes words that sound similar and make some kind of sense.
A word is a basic element of language that carries meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. [1] Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no consensus among linguists on its definition and numerous attempts to find specific criteria of the concept remain controversial. [2 ...
Meaning Origin language and etymology Example(s) capill-of or pertaining to hair Latin capillus, hair capillus: capit-pertaining to the head as a whole Latin caput, capit-, the head capitation, decapitation carcin-cancer: Greek καρκίνος (karkínos), crab carcinoma: cardi-of or pertaining to the heart: Greek καρδία (kardía), heart ...
The term "word" has no well-defined meaning. Instead, two related terms are used in morphology: lexeme and word-form [definition needed]. Generally, a lexeme is a set of inflected word-forms that is often represented with the citation form in small capitals. For instance, the lexeme eat contains the word-forms eat, eats, eaten, and ate.
A protester's sign using the word fuck on Tax March Day, April 15, 2017 in Washington, D.C. U.S. Fuck is an English-language profanity which often refers to the act of sexual intercourse, but is also commonly used as an intensifier or to convey disdain. While its origin is obscure, it is usually considered to be first attested to around 1475.
History (derived from Ancient Greek ἱστορία (historía) 'inquiry; knowledge acquired by investigation') [1] is the systematic study and documentation of the human past. [2] [3] The period of events before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. [4] ". History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well as the ...