English
Word origins.
Definition
Word origins, also called etymology, trace where English words come from historically. English borrows heavily from Latin, Greek, French, German, and many other languages. Knowing a word's origin often reveals its deeper meaning and connects it to other words in the same family.
Examples
Real-world.
- 1 'Democracy' comes from Greek 'demos' (people) + 'kratos' (rule) — literally 'rule by the people'
- 2 'Salary' comes from Latin 'salarium,' related to 'sal' (salt), because Roman soldiers were partly paid in salt
- 3 'Kindergarten' comes from German 'Kinder' (children) + 'Garten' (garden) — a garden for children