Etymon Definition

ĕtə-mŏn

etyma, etymons

noun

etymons

An earlier form of a word, as at an earlier period in the development of a language.

Webster's New World

A word or morpheme from which derivatives or compounds have developed.

Webster's New World

A foreign word from which a particular loan word is derived. For example, Latin duo, “two,” is an etymon of English duodecimal.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Etymon

Singular:

etymon

Plural:

etyma, etymons

From Ancient Greek ἔτυμον (etumon, “the true sense of a word according to its origin”), from ἔτυμος (etumos, “true, real, actual”).

From Wiktionary
Latin from Greek etumon true sense of a word from neuter of etumos true

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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