etymon

American  

[et-uh-mon] / ˈɛt əˌmɒn /

noun

plural

etymons, etyma

1. the linguistic form from which another form is historically derived, as the Latin cor “heart,” which is the etymon of English cordial, or the Indo-European *ḱ (e ) rd-, which is the etymon of Latin cor, Greek kardía, Russian serdtse, and English heart.

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etymon British  

/ ˈɛtɪˌmɒn /

noun

1. a form of a word or morpheme, usually the earliest recorded form or a reconstructed form, from which another word or morpheme is derived: the etymon of English "ewe" is Indo-European " * owi"

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Etymology

Origin of etymon

1560–70; < Latin: the origin of a word < Greek étymon the essential meaning of a word seen in its origin or traced to its grammatical parts (neuter of étymos true, actual, real)

Example Sentences

The etymon is in old English wrestling�to have on the hip; to render an opponent powerless because tractionless.

From Time Magazine Archive

Förstemann finds an etymon in Old High German stur, Old Norse stôr, great.

From The River-Names of Europe by Ferguson, Robert

—Can any of your correspondents refer me to the etymon of this name, given to a vocation attached to our English courts of law?

From Notes and Queries, Vol. IV, Number 111, December 13, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by Various

The Gael. abhach, blithe, sportive, would seem to give a better etymon for the bright waters of Avoca.

From The River-Names of Europe by Ferguson, Robert

But the etymon he proposes is rather unsatisfactory.

From Notes and Queries, No. 209, October 29 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Geneologists, etc. by Various