Definition of "etymology" []

• The origin and historical development of a linguistic form as shown by determining its basic elements, earliest known use, and changes in form and meaning, tracing its transmission from one language to another, identifying its cognates in other languages, and reconstructing its ancestral form where possible. (noun)
• The branch of linguistics that deals with etymologies. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "There seems little room for doubt: the acronym etymology is not valid."
• "A folk etymology is one that is widely believed but which is unfounded linguistically, though often it ‘seems’ right."
• "Knowledge of etymology is completely unnecessary for using a language."