Definition of ETYMON

etymon

Plural: etyma, etymons

Noun

  • The earliest known form of a word or its root.
  • a simple form inferred as the common basis from which related words in several languages can be derived by linguistic processes
  • The original or earlier form of an inherited or borrowed word, affix, or morpheme either from an earlier period in a language's development, from an ancestral language, or from a foreign language.
  • Meaning as derived and conveyed thereby: The literal meaning of a term according to its origin, which may differ from its usual meaning when the latter relies on idiomatic conventions that are not conveyed by the term alone (that is, they must be known in other ways, such as experience, training, education, or dictionary lookup).

Examples

  • Tracing the ETYMON of a word reveals its linguistic journey, much like a good Scrabble play.

Origin / Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἔτυμον (étumon, “the true sense of a word according to its origin”), from ἔτυμος (étumos, “true, real, actual”).

Synonyms

root, ancestor, etym

Antonyms

derivative#Noun, reflex

Scrabble Score: 11

etymon: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
etymon: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
etymon: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

etymon: valid Words With Friends Word