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t. e. Etymology (/ ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi /, ET-im-OL-ə-jee[1]) is the scientific study of the origins of words, including the origins of their constituent units of sound and meaning (phonemes and morphemes), [2][3] as well as their changes in pronunciation and meaning across time. It is a subfield of historical linguistics, philology, and ...
Online Etymology Dictionary. 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]
The whole nine yards. " The whole nine yards " or " the full nine yards " is a colloquial American English phrase meaning "everything, the whole lot" or, when used as an adjective, "all the way". [1] Its first usage was the punch line of an 1855 Indiana comedic short story titled "The Judge's Big Shirt".
Bob's your uncle. Early appearance of "Bob's your uncle" in print, an advertisement in the Dundee Evening Telegraph on 19 June 1924. " Bob's your uncle " is a phrase commonly used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries that means "and there it is", or "and there you have it", or "it's done". Typically, someone says it to conclude a ...
A picture is worth a thousand words. 1913 newspaper advertisement. Meaning. Seeing something is better for learning than having it described. Original form. "A thousand words leave not the same deep impression as does a single deed." Coined by. Henrik Ibsen. " A picture is worth a thousand words " is an adage in multiple languages meaning that ...
If known, their origins are noted. A proverbial phrase or expression is a type of conventional saying similar to a proverb and transmitted by oral tradition. The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression, while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context. [1] [2] In 1768, John Ray defined a proverbial ...
Folk etymology – also known as (generative) popular etymology, [1] analogical reformation, (morphological) reanalysis and etymological reinterpretation[2] – is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more familiar one through popular usage. [3][4][5] The form or the meaning of an archaic ...
Etymological dictionary. An etymological dictionary discusses the etymology of the words listed. Often, large dictionaries, such as the Oxford English Dictionary and Webster's, will contain some etymological information, without aspiring to focus on etymology. [1] Etymological dictionaries are the product of research in historical linguistics.