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) n. pl. et·y·mol·o·gies
1. The origin and historical development of a linguistic form as shown by determining its basic elements, earliest known use, and changes in form and meaning, tracing its transmission from one language to another, identifying its cognates in other languages, and reconstructing its ancestral form where possible.
2. The branch of linguistics that deals with etymologies.
Context
Learning to speak Spanish enhanced Isabella's vocabulary because so many English words have the Spanish cognate as part of their etymology: "Quixotic," from Don Quixote, became one of her favorite words.
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