etymological dictionary
- noun
- /ˌɛtɪməˈlɒdʒɪkəl ˈdɪkʃənɛri/
- Specialized
:
diccionario etimológico
- For anyone interested in language, an etymological dictionary is an invaluable resource for understanding word roots and meanings.
Examples
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Though his enthusiasm had evidently waned by the time of publication of the second edition of his etymological dictionary three decades later, he continued to list tomar under the lemma mutuare.
Academic text (2000) -
An etymological dictionary reveals the history and evolution of language, highlighting how words change over time.
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Linguists often consult an etymological dictionary to trace the origins of specific terms and their adaptations in various cultures.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a dictionary that provides the historical origins and development of words' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'etymological' (concerned with historical word development) with 'dictionary' (a book of word entries). This literal compositional pattern is clear and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the MWE.
Etymology
Etymological dictionary gives a simple picture: it is a dictionary that looks back into a word's past, because etymological refers to the 'history' of a word. That's why it means 'a dictionary that shows where words come from'.
