Emily Dickinson Lexicon

ET-Y-MOL'O-GY, n. [Gr. ετυμος, true, and λογος, discourse.]

1. That part of philology which explains the origin and derivation of words, with a view to ascertain their radical in primary signification. In grammar, etymology comprehends the various inflections and modifications of words, and shows how they are formed from their simple roots.
2. The deduction of words from their originals; the analysis of compound words into their primitives.