CINXE.COM
<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8" content="text/html;charset=utf-8;"> <title data-react-helmet="true" name="twitter:title">orthography | Search Online Etymology Dictionary</title> <meta data-react-helmet="true" http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1"/><meta data-react-helmet="true" name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"/><meta data-react-helmet="true" name="apple-mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes"/><meta data-react-helmet="true" name="theme-color" content="#83001d"/><meta data-react-helmet="true" name="description" property="og:description" content="The online etymology dictionary (etymonline) is the internet's go-to source for quick and reliable accounts of the origin and history of English words, phrases, and idioms. It is professional enough to satisfy academic standards, but accessible enough to be used by anyone."/><meta data-react-helmet="true" name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#83001d"/><meta data-react-helmet="true" name="msapplication-TileImage" content="/ms-icon-144x144.png"/><meta data-react-helmet="true" property="og:image" name="twitter:image" content="https://www.etymonline.com/graphics/header.jpg"/><meta data-react-helmet="true" name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/><meta data-react-helmet="true" name="robots" content="noindex, follow"/> <link data-react-helmet="true" rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="https://www.etymonline.com/opensearch.xml" title="Etymonline Search"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="chrome-webstore-item" href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/giehjnnlopapngdjbjjgddpaagoimmgl"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="57x57" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/favicon/apple-icon-57x57.png"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="60x60" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/favicon/apple-icon-60x60.png"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="72x72" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/favicon/apple-icon-72x72.png"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="76x76" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/favicon/apple-icon-76x76.png"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="114x114" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/favicon/apple-icon-114x114.png"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="120x120" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/favicon/apple-icon-120x120.png"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="144x144" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/favicon/apple-icon-144x144.png"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="152x152" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/favicon/apple-icon-152x152.png"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/favicon/apple-icon-180x180.png"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="192x192" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/favicon/android-icon-192x192.png"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/favicon/favicon-32x32.png"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="96x96" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/favicon/favicon-96x96.png"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/favicon/favicon-16x16.png"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="manifest" href="/manifest.json"/><link data-react-helmet="true" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/fontawesome/css/font-awesome.min.css"/><link data-react-helmet="true" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/style.1ca52a5f895b4c08a29e26a206c2dacb.css"/><link data-react-helmet="true" rel="canonical" href="https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=orthography"/> <script async src="https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/tag/js/gpt.js"></script><script>window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};</script> </head> <body> <div id="root"><div data-reactroot=""><div class="container--1mazc"><div class="header header--1Mejf header__vanila--2dqaM header--top header__sticky--1w7Bc"><div class="header__vanila__container--CElq1"><div class="ant-row"><div class="ant-col-sm-17"><div class="inner--7ZeMs" data-role="header-inner"><div class="header__logo--12Lje" data-role="header-logo"><a href="/" title="Etymology"><img class="header__logo__image--2avl2" src="https://cdn.etymonline.com/web/logo.png" alt="Etymology"/></a></div><div class="header__searchbar--3yKr5" data-role="header-searchbar"><div class="searchform"><form class="searchbar--3dK8Z searchbar" action="/search"><div role="combobox" aria-haspopup="listbox" aria-owns="react-autowhatever-1" aria-expanded="false" class="searchbar__container--2VZd7"><input type="text" value="orthography" autoComplete="off" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-controls="react-autowhatever-1" class="searchbar__input--3L4IY" id="search-bar-text-input" placeholder="Search" name="q" required="" autoCapitalize="off" autoCorrect="off" title="Type a word to search."/><div id="react-autowhatever-1" role="listbox"></div></div><div class="search-clear"><i class="fa fa-times-circle"></i></div><input type="submit" title="Search" value="" class="searchbar__button--3luO1"/></form></div></div></div></div><div class="ant-col-sm-6 ant-col-sm-offset-1"><div class="userInfo--3pEnp"><a class="userInfo_login--1peTS" href="/web/login?redirect_uri=%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dorthography" rel="nofollow">Log in</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="main main--10rAd" data-role="content-main"><div class="ant-row-flex ant-row-flex-space-around"><div class="ant-col-xs-24 ant-col-sm-24 ant-col-md-24 ant-col-lg-17"><div data-ad-container="true" class="adContainer--6CVz1 horizontal"><span class="adLabel--35hfi">Advertisement</span><div id="div-gpt-ad-pc-sp-top" style="min-width:728px;min-height:90px"></div></div><div class="searchList__pageCount--2jQdB"><div class="searchFilter--1aRK4"><a href="/search?q=orthography"><div class="selectorItem--S2kay selected--3Nv2s">all</div></a><a href="/search?q=orthography&type=0"><div class="selectorItem--S2kay">word</div></a><a href="/search?q=orthography&type=1"><div class="selectorItem--S2kay">name</div></a><a href="/search?q=orthography&type=2"><div class="selectorItem--S2kay">phrase</div></a><a href="/search?q=orthography&type=3"><div class="selectorItem--S2kay">suffix</div></a><a href="/search?q=orthography&type=4"><div class="selectorItem--S2kay">prefix</div></a><a href="/search?q=orthography&type=5"><div class="selectorItem--S2kay">word root</div></a><div class="underline--2GdPQ"></div></div>10 entries found.</div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8"><div><a class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of orthography" href="/word/orthography#etymonline_v_9914">orthography<!-- -->聽<!-- -->(n.)<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></a><div class="word__etymology_expand--1s7tE"><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined"><div></div><p>mid-15c., <span class="foreign notranslate">ortographie, ortografie</span>, "branch of knowledge concerned with correct or proper spelling," from Old French <span class="foreign notranslate">ortografie</span> (13c.), from Latin <span class="foreign notranslate">orthographia</span>, from Greek <span class="foreign notranslate">orthographia</span> "correct writing," from <span class="foreign notranslate">orthos</span> "correct" (see <a href="/word/ortho-" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of ortho- " class="crossreference notranslate">ortho-</a>) + root of <span class="foreign notranslate">graphein</span> "to write" (see <a href="/word/-graphy" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of -graphy " class="crossreference notranslate">-graphy</a>).</p> <p>聽The classical spelling was restored in English and French (<span class="foreign notranslate">orthographie</span>) in early 16c. The meaning "branch of language study which treats of the nature and properties of letters" is from 1580s. An early 15c. glossary has <span class="foreign notranslate">ryght wrytynge</span> as translation of <span class="foreign notranslate">ortographia</span>. Related: <span class="foreign notranslate">Orthographer</span>.</p></section></div></div><a data-more="true" class="word_4pc__footer--2yfj3" href="/word/orthography#etymonline_v_9914"><span>Related entries & more</span>聽<i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="opacity:0"></i></a><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div data-ad-container="true" class="adContainer--6CVz1 vertical" style="margin-top:1em"><span class="adLabel--35hfi">Advertisement</span><div id="div-gpt-ad-pc-sp-infeed-1" style="min-width:728px;min-height:90px"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8"><div><a class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of orthographic" href="/word/orthographic#etymonline_v_31315">orthographic<!-- -->聽<!-- -->(adj.)<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></a><div class="word__etymology_expand--1s7tE"><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined"><div></div><p>1660s, in reference to a type of perspective in drawings, etc., from <a href="/word/ortho-" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of ortho- " class="crossreference notranslate">ortho-</a> "true, correct" + <span class="foreign notranslate">-graphic</span> "of or pertaining to drawing" (see <a href="/word/graphic#etymonline_v_11915" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of graphic " class="crossreference notranslate">graphic</a> (adj.)). Meaning "belonging to the writing of words with proper letters, relating to the spelling of words" is by 1709, from <a href="/word/orthography" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of orthography " class="crossreference notranslate"><em>orthography</em></a> + <a href="/word/-ic" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of -ic " class="crossreference notranslate">-ic</a>. Related: <span class="foreign notranslate">Orthographically</span> (used from 1610s in reference to spelling).</p></section></div></div><a data-more="true" class="word_4pc__footer--2yfj3" href="/word/orthographic#etymonline_v_31315"><span>Related entries & more</span>聽<i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="opacity:0"></i></a><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8"><div><a class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of scrimshaw" href="/word/scrimshaw#etymonline_v_22993">scrimshaw<!-- -->聽<!-- -->(n.)<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></a><div class="word__etymology_expand--1s7tE"><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined"><div></div><p>"shell or piece of ivory fancifully carved," a sailor's word, by 1864 in that spelling, also <span class="foreign notranslate">scrimshon</span>, etc., "A nautical word of unstable <em>orthography</em>" [Century Dictionary]; a back-formation from American English <span class="foreign notranslate">scrimshander</span> ("Moby Dick," 1851), <span class="foreign notranslate">scrimshonting</span> (1825), which is of obscure origin. <span class="foreign notranslate">Scrimshaw</span> is an English surname, attested from mid-12c., from Old French <span class="foreign notranslate">escremisseor</span> "fencing-master." As a verb, by 1883.</p></section></div></div><a data-more="true" class="word_4pc__footer--2yfj3" href="/word/scrimshaw#etymonline_v_22993"><span>Related entries & more</span>聽<i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="opacity:0"></i></a><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8"><div><a class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of Fomalhaut" href="/word/Fomalhaut#etymonline_v_11745">Fomalhaut<!-- -->聽<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></a><div class="word__etymology_expand--1s7tE"><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined"><div></div><p>bright star in the ancient constellation <span class="foreign notranslate">Piscis Austrinus</span> (the Southern Fish, to distinguish it from <span class="foreign notranslate">Pisces</span>), 1594, from Arabic <span class="foreign notranslate">Fum al Hut</span> "the Fish's Mouth," which describes its position in the imaginary star-picture. Allen [1899] notes among its various spellings <span class="foreign notranslate">Fomahant</span>, <span class="foreign notranslate">Fumahaud</span>, <span class="foreign notranslate">Phom Ahut</span>, <span class="foreign notranslate">Fomahand</span>, <span class="foreign notranslate">Fontabant</span>, and <span class="foreign notranslate">Phomelhaut</span> and writes that "No other star seems to have had so varied an <em>orthography</em>," adding that the name "generally, but wrongly" was pronounced <span class="foreign notranslate">fo-ma-lo</span>, as if from French.</p></section></div></div><a data-more="true" class="word_4pc__footer--2yfj3" href="/word/Fomalhaut#etymonline_v_11745"><span>Related entries & more</span>聽<i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="opacity:0"></i></a><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8"><div><a class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of th" href="/word/th#etymonline_v_10702">th<!-- -->聽<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></a><div class="word__etymology_expand--1s7tE"><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined"><div></div><p>digraph representing a sound found chiefly in words of Old English, Old Norse or Greek origin, but unpronounceable by Normans and many other Europeans. In reconstructed PIE origins, the Greek <span class="foreign notranslate">-th-</span> and the Germanic <span class="foreign notranslate">-th-</span> descend from different sound roots.</p> <p>In Greek, <span class="foreign notranslate">-th-</span> at first represented a true aspirate (T + H, as in English <span class="foreign notranslate">outhouse</span>, <span class="foreign notranslate">shithead</span>, etc.). But by 2c. B.C.E. the Greek letter <span class="foreign notranslate">theta</span> was in universal use and had the modern "-th-" sound.</p> <p>Latin had neither the letter nor the sound, and the Romans represented Greek <span class="foreign notranslate">theta</span> by <span class="foreign notranslate">-TH-</span>, which they generally pronounced, at least in Late Latin, as simple "-t-" (passed down to Romanic languages, as in Spanish <span class="foreign notranslate">termal</span> "thermal," <span class="foreign notranslate">teoria</span> "theory," <span class="foreign notranslate">teatro</span> "theater").</p> <p>In Germanic languages it represents a sound common at the start of words or after stressed vowels. To indicate it in alphabetic writing, Old English and Old Norse used the characters <span class="foreign notranslate">冒</span> "eth" (a modified form of <span class="foreign notranslate">-d-</span>) and <span class="foreign notranslate">镁</span> "thorn," which had been a rune. Old English, unlike Old Norse, seems never to have standardized which of the two letters represented which of the two forms of the sound ("hard" and "soft").</p> <p>The digraph <span class="foreign notranslate">-th-</span> sometimes appears in early Old English writing, on the Latin model, and it returned in Middle English with the French scribes, driving out eth by c. 1250, but thorn persisted, especially in demonstratives (<span class="foreign notranslate">镁at</span>, <span class="foreign notranslate">镁e</span>, <span class="foreign notranslate">镁is</span>, etc.), even as other words were being spelled with <span class="foreign notranslate">-th-</span>.</p> <p>The advent of printing dealt its death-blow, however, as the first types were imported from continental founders, who had no thorn. For a time <span class="foreign notranslate">y</span> was used in its place (especially in Scotland), because it had a similar shape, hence <span class="foreign notranslate">ye</span> for <span class="foreign notranslate">the</span> in pseudo-historical typographical affectation <span class="foreign notranslate">Ye Olde _____</span> (it never was pronounced "ye," only printed that way; see <a href="/word/ye#etymonline_v_4943" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of ye " class="crossreference notranslate">ye</a> (article)).</p> <p>After the Renaissance, English writers saw that some words inherited from French or Latin with a <span class="foreign notranslate">t-</span> had been <span class="foreign notranslate">th-</span> in the original Greek. The <span class="foreign notranslate">-th-</span> was restored in <a href="/word/amethyst" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of amethyst " class="crossreference notranslate">amethyst</a>, <a href="/word/asthma" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of asthma " class="crossreference notranslate">asthma</a>, <a href="/word/pythoness" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of pythoness " class="crossreference notranslate">pythoness</a>, <a href="/word/orthography" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of orthography " class="crossreference notranslate"><em>orthography</em></a>, <a href="/word/theme" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of theme " class="crossreference notranslate">theme</a>, <a href="/word/throne" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of throne " class="crossreference notranslate">throne</a>, etc.); it failed in <a href="/word/acolyte" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of acolyte " class="crossreference notranslate">acolyte</a>. Over-correction in English created unetymological forms such as <a href="/word/Thames" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of Thames " class="crossreference notranslate">Thames</a> and <a href="/word/author" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of author " class="crossreference notranslate">author</a>. Caxton (late 15c.) has <span class="foreign notranslate">thau</span> for <a href="/word/tau" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of tau " class="crossreference notranslate">tau</a>, and compare Chaucer's <span class="foreign notranslate">Sir Thopas</span> (<a href="/word/topaz" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of topaz " class="crossreference notranslate">topaz</a>). The earliest form of <span class="foreign notranslate">Torah</span> in English was <span class="foreign notranslate">Thora</span> (1570s). Yet some words borrowed from Romanic languages preserve, on the Roman model, the Greek <span class="foreign notranslate">-th-</span> spelling but the simple Latin "t" pronunciation (<a href="/word/Thomas" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of Thomas " class="crossreference notranslate">Thomas</a>, <a href="/word/thyme" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of thyme " class="crossreference notranslate">thyme</a>).</p></section></div></div><a data-more="true" class="word_4pc__footer--2yfj3" href="/word/th#etymonline_v_10702"><span>Related entries & more</span>聽<i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="opacity:0"></i></a><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div data-ad-container="true" class="adContainer--6CVz1 vertical" style="margin-top:1em"><span class="adLabel--35hfi">Advertisement</span><ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7093273770345366" style="display:block;width:100%" data-ad-slot="5022190299" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8"><div><a class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of dj-" href="/word/dj-#etymonline_v_54036">dj-<!-- -->聽<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></a><div class="word__etymology_expand--1s7tE"><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined"><div></div><p>consonant combination used in French <em>orthography</em> to represent the Arabic letter <span class="foreign notranslate">jim</span>; it appears in some words from Arabic, Turkish, etc. taken into English via French.</p></section></div></div><a data-more="true" class="word_4pc__footer--2yfj3" href="/word/dj-#etymonline_v_54036"><span>Related entries & more</span>聽<i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="opacity:0"></i></a><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8"><div><a class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of speller" href="/word/speller#etymonline_v_48978">speller<!-- -->聽<!-- -->(n.)<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></a><div class="word__etymology_expand--1s7tE"><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined"><div></div><p>c. 1200, "a preacher;" in the sense "a person who reads letter by letter," mid-15c. (or possibly "spelling expert," glossing Latin <span class="foreign notranslate">sillabicator</span>); by 1828 in reference to a book to teach <em>orthography</em>. Agent noun from <a href="/word/spell#etymonline_v_23996" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of spell " class="crossreference notranslate">spell</a> (v.1).</p></section></div></div><a data-more="true" class="word_4pc__footer--2yfj3" href="/word/speller#etymonline_v_48978"><span>Related entries & more</span>聽<i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="opacity:0"></i></a><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8"><div><a class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of semicolon" href="/word/semicolon#etymonline_v_23186">semicolon<!-- -->聽<!-- -->(n.)<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></a><div class="word__etymology_expand--1s7tE"><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined"><div></div><p>also<span class="foreign notranslate"> semi-colon</span>, point used in punctuation, consisting of a dot above a comma, to mark a sentence somewhat more independent than that marked by a comma, 1640s, a hybrid coined from Latin-derived <a href="/word/semi-" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of semi- " class="crossreference notranslate">semi-</a> + Greek-based <a href="/word/colon#etymonline_v_15839" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of colon " class="crossreference notranslate">colon</a> (n.1). The mark itself was (and is) in Greek the point of interrogation. The <span class="foreign notranslate"><strong>semicolon butterfly</strong></span> (by 1841, American English) is so called for the silver mark on its wings.聽</p> <blockquote> [T]he semicolon was a Latin delicacy which the obtuse English typographer resisted. So late as 1580 and 1590 treatises on <em>orthography</em> do not recognize any such innovation ; the Bible of 1592, though printed with appropriate accuracy, is without a semicolon ; but in 1633 its full rights are established by Charles Butler's English Grammar. ... [I]t is evident that Shakespeare could never have used the semicolon ; a circumstance which the profound George Chalmers mourns over, opining that semicolons would often have saved the poet from his commentators. [Isaac. D'Israeli, "Amenities of Literature," 1841] </blockquote></section></div></div><a data-more="true" class="word_4pc__footer--2yfj3" href="/word/semicolon#etymonline_v_23186"><span>Related entries & more</span>聽<i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="opacity:0"></i></a><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8"><div><a class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of caco-" href="/word/caco-#etymonline_v_33043">caco-<!-- -->聽<span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></a><div class="word__etymology_expand--1s7tE"><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined"><div></div><p>before vowels <span class="foreign notranslate">cac-</span>, word-forming element meaning "bad, ill, poor" (as in <span class="foreign notranslate">cacography</span>, the opposite of <a href="/word/calligraphy" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of calligraphy " class="crossreference notranslate">calligraphy</a> and <a href="/word/orthography" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of orthography " class="crossreference notranslate"><em>orthography</em></a>), from Latinized form of Greek <span class="foreign notranslate">kakos</span> "bad, evil," considered by etymologists probably to be connected with PIE root <a href="/word/*kakka-" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of *kakka- " rel="nofollow" class="crossreference notranslate">*kakka-</a> "to defecate." The ancient Greek word was common in compounds; when added to words already bad, it made them worse; when added to words signifying something good, it often implies too little of it.</p></section></div></div><a data-more="true" class="word_4pc__footer--2yfj3" href="/word/caco-#etymonline_v_33043"><span>Related entries & more</span>聽<i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="opacity:0"></i></a><div style="clear:both"></div></div><div class="word--C9UPa word_4pc--2SZw8"><div><a class="word__name--TTbAA word_thumbnail__name--1khEg" style="margin-bottom:5px;display:block" title="Origin and meaning of etymology" href="/word/etymology#etymonline_v_11669">etymology<!-- -->聽<!-- -->(n.)<i class="fa fa-image" style="margin-left:5px;color:#888"></i><span class="word_thumbnail__name_icon--2RFFN"><i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="font-size:16px"></i></span></a><div class="word__etymology_expand--1s7tE"><section class="word__defination--2q7ZH undefined"><div style="float:left;padding-right:10px;padding-top:5px;height:85px;width:90px;overflow:hidden"><a title="Origin and meaning of etymology" href="/word/etymology#etymonline_v_11669"><img style="max-width:80px" src="https://cdn.etymonline.com/chart/crop/etymology-etymology-11669p_l.jpg" alt="Origin and meaning of etymology"/></a></div><p>late 14c., <span class="foreign notranslate">ethimolegia</span> "facts of the origin and development of a word," from Old French <span class="foreign notranslate">etimologie</span>, <span class="foreign notranslate">ethimologie</span> (14c., Modern French <span class="foreign notranslate">茅tymologie</span>), from Latin <span class="foreign notranslate">etymologia</span>, from Greek <span class="foreign notranslate">etymologia</span> "analysis of a word to find its true origin," properly "study of the true sense (of a word)," with <span class="foreign notranslate">-logia</span> "study of, a speaking of" (see <a href="/word/-logy" title="Etymology, meaning and definition of -logy " class="crossreference notranslate">-logy</a>) + <span class="foreign notranslate">etymon</span> "true sense, original meaning," neuter of <span class="foreign notranslate">etymos</span> "true, real, actual," related to <span class="foreign notranslate">eteos</span> "true," which perhaps is cognate with Sanskrit <span class="foreign notranslate">satyah</span>, Gothic <span class="foreign notranslate">sunjis</span>, Old English <span class="foreign notranslate">so冒</span> "true," from a PIE <span class="foreign notranslate">*set-</span> "be stable." Latinized by Cicero as <span class="foreign notranslate">veriloquium</span>.</p> <p>In classical times, with reference to meanings; later, to histories. Classical etymologists, Christian and pagan, based their explanations on allegory and guesswork, lacking historical records as well as the scientific method to analyze them, and the discipline fell into disrepute that lasted a millennium. Flaubert ["Dictionary of Received Ideas"] wrote that the general view was that etymology was "the easiest thing in the world with the help of Latin and a little ingenuity."</p> <p>As a modern branch of linguistic science treating of the origin and evolution of words, from 1640s. As "an account of the particular history of a word" from mid-15c.</p> <blockquote> As practised by Socrates in the <span class="foreign notranslate">Cratylus</span>, etymology involves a claim about the underlying semantic content of the name, what it really means or indicates. This content is taken to have been put there by the ancient namegivers: giving an etymology is thus a matter of unwrapping or decoding a name to find the message the namegivers have placed inside. [Rachel Barney, "Socrates Agonistes: The Case of the <span class="foreign notranslate">Cratylus</span> Etymologies," in "Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy," vol. xvi, 1998] </blockquote> <p>By late-14c. a sense had developed of "conjugation and categorization of words," apparently from a misunderstanding of etymology as dealing in tenses, and it is listed with <span class="foreign notranslate">prosody, <em>orthography</em></span> and <span class="foreign notranslate">syntax</span> as an element of grammar:</p> <blockquote> ...for the beginners of any language whatsoever, [etymologie] is so necessarie, that without it, they could not understand or learne it: The which by the Latin Grammarians hath beene, and is called Declension and Coniugation. [John Minsheu, "A Spanish Grammar," 1599.] </blockquote> <p>OED considers this sense to be "now historical." Related: <span class="foreign notranslate">Etymological</span>; <span class="foreign notranslate">etymologically</span>.</p></section></div></div><a data-more="true" class="word_4pc__footer--2yfj3" href="/word/etymology#etymonline_v_11669"><span>Related entries & more</span>聽<i class="fa fa-chevron-right" style="opacity:0"></i></a><div style="clear:both"></div></div></div><div class="ant-col-xs-24 ant-col-sm-24 ant-col-md-24 ant-col-lg-6"><div data-ad-container="true" class="adContainer--6CVz1 removeAdsContainer--3mV2b horizontal"><a href="/premium?utm_source=remove_ads"><div class="removeAdsBtn--2W3KN">Remove ads ></div></a><span class="adLabel--35hfi">Advertisement</span><div id="div-gpt-ad-pc-sp-right" style="min-width:300px;min-height:250px"></div></div><div class="trending__normal--2eWJF"><h3 class="h3_title">Trending words</h3><ul><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of demure" href="/word/demure">1<!-- -->. <!-- -->demure</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of threshold" href="/word/threshold">2<!-- -->. <!-- -->threshold</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of tariff" href="/word/tariff">3<!-- -->. <!-- -->tariff</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of horse" href="/word/horse">4<!-- -->. <!-- -->horse</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of pecan" href="/word/pecan">5<!-- -->. <!-- -->pecan</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of thanksgiving" href="/word/thanksgiving">6<!-- -->. <!-- -->thanksgiving</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of pedagogy" href="/word/pedagogy">7<!-- -->. <!-- -->pedagogy</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of gospel" href="/word/gospel">8<!-- -->. <!-- -->gospel</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of charity" href="/word/charity">9<!-- -->. <!-- -->charity</a></li><li class="trending__normal__word--1Qvnq"><a rel="nofollow" title="Origin and meaning of slang" href="/word/slang">10<!-- -->. <!-- -->slang</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div class="alphabet--3sMXd"><ul class="alphabet__inner--2NEtM"><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter A"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=a">A</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter B"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=b">B</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter C"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=c">C</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter D"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=d">D</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter E"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=e">E</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter F"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=f">F</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter G"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=g">G</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter H"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=h">H</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter I"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=i">I</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter J"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=j">J</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter K"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=k">K</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter L"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=l">L</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter M"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=m">M</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter N"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=n">N</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter O"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=o">O</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter P"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=p">P</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter Q"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=q">Q</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter R"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=r">R</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter S"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=s">S</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter T"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=t">T</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter U"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=u">U</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter V"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=v">V</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter W"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=w">W</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter X"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=x">X</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter Y"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=y">Y</a></li><li class="alphabet__node--huwT8" title="Prefix, suffix and words starting with the letter Z"><a rel="nofollow" href="/search?q=z">Z</a></li></ul></div><div class="footer--zLQrv"><div class="footer__info--3VNMU"><div class="footer__info_inner--1aVeV"><div><p class="footer__info_title--3LoBd">LINKS</p><a rel="" href="https://forum.etymonline.com" class="footer__info_node--3T-ZQ">Forum</a><a rel="nofollow" href="/columns/post/sources" class="footer__info_node--3T-ZQ">Full List of Sources</a><a rel="nofollow" href="/columns/post/links" class="footer__info_node--3T-ZQ">Links</a></div><div><p class="footer__info_title--3LoBd">PRODUCTS</p><a rel="nofollow" href="https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id813629612?pt=33423801&ct=etymonline_footer&mt=8" class="footer__info_node--3T-ZQ">iOS App</a><a rel="nofollow" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.etymonline.app&referrer=utm_source%3Detymonline_webfooter" class="footer__info_node--3T-ZQ">Android App</a><a rel="nofollow" href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/etymonline/giehjnnlopapngdjbjjgddpaagoimmgl?utm_source=link_footer" class="footer__info_node--3T-ZQ">Chrome Extension</a></div><div><p class="footer__info_title--3LoBd">ABOUT</p><a rel="nofollow" href="/columns/post/bio" class="footer__info_node--3T-ZQ">Who Did This</a><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.etymonline.com/columns/post/abbr" class="footer__info_node--3T-ZQ">Introduction and Explanation</a><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/etymonline?utm_source=etymonline_footer&utm_medium=link_exchange" class="footer__info_node--3T-ZQ">Follow on Facebook</a></div><div><p class="footer__info_title--3LoBd">SUPPORT</p><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=byronic106@yahoo.com&lc=US&item_name=Donation+to +Help+Keep+Etymonline+Free+and+Open&no_note=0&cn=&curency_code=USD&bn=PP-DonationsBF:btn_donateCC_LG.gif:NonHosted" class="footer__info_node--3T-ZQ">Donate with PayPal</a><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/godgifu/shop?artistUserName=godgifu&collections=1692216&utm_source=etymonline_footer" class="footer__info_node--3T-ZQ">Ye Olde Swag Shoppe</a><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.patreon.com/etymonline?utm_source=etymonline.com&utm_campaign=footer_link&utm_medium=website" class="footer__info_node--3T-ZQ">Support on Patreon</a></div></div></div><div class="footer__link--1RSEJ footer__link_padding--1oYre"><div class="footer__link_inner--KP2Wz"><div><a href="mailto:etymonline@protonmail.com" title="Douglas Harper" rel="nofollow">漏 2001-2024<!-- --> <!-- -->Douglas Harper</a><span style="color:#888"> | </span><a href="https://www.etymonline.com/legal/terms" title="Terms of Service" rel="nofollow">Terms of Service</a><span style="color:#888"> | </span><a href="https://www.etymonline.com/legal/privacy" title="Privacy Policy" rel="nofollow">Privacy Policy</a></div></div></div></div><div class="backtop"><div class="backtop-content"><i class="fa fa-arrow-up"></i></div></div></div></div></div> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-YGHSRMYRTV"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-YGHSRMYRTV', { 'custom_map': {'dimension1': 'UserRole'} }); gtag('event', 'user_role_set', {'UserRole': 'guest'}); </script> <script data-react-helmet="true" src="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/jquery-3.2.1.min.js"></script><script data-react-helmet="true" src="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/remove-ads-iconfont.js?t=10"></script><script data-react-helmet="true" src="https://cdn.etymonline.com/projects/etymonline-main-v3/plugins.2ad87a733ad1b7fbd7d2.js" async="true"></script><script data-react-helmet="true" type="text/javascript"> 'use strict';var extensionBait=document.querySelector('.extensionHint'),isChrome=navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Chrome')>-1,bannerExtension=document.querySelector('.bait'),hintClose=document.querySelector('.hint-closer');!extensionBait||!isChrome||bannerExtension||window.localStorage.getItem('etymonline-extension-installed')||window.localStorage.getItem('extension_banner_clicked')||setTimeout(function(){extensionBait.style.marginTop=0},1e3),hintClose&&hintClose.addEventListener('click',function(){extensionBait.style.marginTop='-64px',window.localStorage.setItem('extension_banner_clicked',!0)}),extensionBait&&extensionBait.addEventListener('click',function(){}); </script><script data-react-helmet="true" >"serviceWorker"in navigator&&navigator.serviceWorker.getRegistrations().then(function(e){for(let r of e)r.unregister()});</script><script data-react-helmet="true" > googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.defineSlot('/21669543020/pc_sp_top', [[728, 90]], 'div-gpt-ad-pc-sp-top').setTargeting("refresh", 'true').addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.defineSlot('/21669543020/pc_sp_right', [[300, 250]], 'div-gpt-ad-pc-sp-right').setTargeting("refresh", 'true').addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.defineSlot('/21669543020/pc_sp_infeed', ['fluid', [728, 90]], 'div-gpt-ad-pc-sp-infeed-1').setTargeting("refresh", 'true').addService(googletag.pubads()); var SECONDS_TO_WAIT_AFTER_VIEWABILITY = 105; // Object to keep track of the number of refreshes per slot var slotRefreshes = {}; googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { var slot = event.slot; // Initialize the count for this slot if it's the first time if (!slotRefreshes[slot.getSlotElementId()]) { slotRefreshes[slot.getSlotElementId()] = 0; } if (slot.getTargeting("refresh").indexOf("true") > -1) { const refreshTime = Math.floor(Math.random() * 15) + SECONDS_TO_WAIT_AFTER_VIEWABILITY; // Only refresh the slot if it has been refreshed less than 3 times if (slotRefreshes[slot.getSlotElementId()] < 3) { setTimeout(function() { console.log("reload", slot.getSlotElementId()); apstag.fetchBids({ slots: [{ slotID: slot.getSlotElementId(), slotName: slot.getAdUnitPath(), sizes: slot.getSizes().map(function(size) { return [size.getWidth(), size.getHeight()]; }) }], timeout: 2e3 }, function(bids) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { apstag.setDisplayBids(); googletag.pubads().refresh([slot]); }); }); // Increment the refresh count for this slot slotRefreshes[slot.getSlotElementId()]++; }, refreshTime * 1000); } } }); googletag.pubads().disableInitialLoad(); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.enableServices(); }); </script><script data-react-helmet="true" >!function(a9,a,p,s,t,A,g){if(a[a9])return;function q(c,r){a[a9]._Q.push([c,r])}a[a9]={init:function(){q("i",arguments)},fetchBids:function(){q("f",arguments)},setDisplayBids:function(){},targetingKeys:function(){return[]},_Q:[]};A=p.createElement(s);A.async=!0;A.src=t;g=p.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];g.parentNode.insertBefore(A,g)}("apstag",window,document,"script","//c.amazon-adsystem.com/aax2/apstag.js"); apstag.init({ pubID: '7013ff7d-a08e-4dca-9729-1643e28c88b5', adServer: 'googletag' }); // Fetch bids from APS apstag.fetchBids({ slots: [{ slotID: 'div-gpt-ad-pc-sp-right', slotName: '/21669543020/pc_sp_right', sizes: [[300, 250]] }, { slotID: 'div-gpt-ad-pc-sp-top', slotName: '/21669543020/pc_sp_top', sizes: [[728, 90]] } ,{ slotID: 'div-gpt-ad-pc-sp-infeed-1', slotName: '/21669543020/pc_sp_infeed', sizes: [[728, 90]] }], timeout: 2e3 }, function(bids) { // Set apstag targeting on googletag, then display the slots googletag.cmd.push(function(){ apstag.setDisplayBids(); googletag.pubads().refresh(); }); googletag.cmd.push(function(){ googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-pc-sp-top'); googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-pc-sp-right'); googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-pc-sp-infeed-1'); }); }); </script><script data-react-helmet="true" type="text/javascript">'use strict';function addADJS(){var b=document.createElement('script');b.src='//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7093273770345366',b.async=!0,document.body.appendChild(b)}var script=document.createElement('script');document.querySelectorAll('.adsbygoogle').forEach(function(){script.text+='(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});'});addADJS();document.body.appendChild(script);</script><script data-react-helmet="true" type="text/javascript"> $('section').click(function(e) { if(e.target.className === 'crossreference' && e.target.nodeName === 'SPAN') { location.href = window.location.origin + '/word/' + e.target.innerText } }) $('a[data-more]').hover( function() { $(this).find('.fa-chevron-right').animate({ opacity: 1 }, 100); }, function() { $(this).find('.fa-chevron-right').animate({ opacity: 0 }, 100); }) $('.word-relation-see-more').click(function(e) { $(this).css('display', 'none'); $(this).prev().css({'max-height': '100%'}); }) </script><script data-react-helmet="true" > $(window).on('scroll', function() { if($(this).scrollTop() > 300) { $('.backtop').show('fast') } else { $('.backtop').hide('fast') } }) $('.backtop').click(function() { $('body,html').animate({ scrollTop: 0 }, 500) }) </script> </body> </html>