Verb: etymologize ,e-ti'mó-lu,jIz
- Give the etymology, derivation or suggest an etymology (for a word)
"The linguist probably etymologized the words incorrectly"; "Although he is not trained in this, his hobby is etymologizing";
- etymologise [Brit]
- (linguistics) construct the history of words
"The linguist etymologized the term to trace its origins";
- etymologise [Brit]
Derived forms: etymologizing, etymologizes, etymologized
Type of: construct, derive, educe [formal], reconstruct, retrace