etymology; word origin
Refers to the historical origin and development of a word. Used in linguistics and everyday discussion about where words come from.
この言葉の語源はラテン語だ。
The etymology of this word is Latin.
My hobby is researching word origins.
I looked up the etymology of the word 'wabi-sabi'.
If you trace back this word's etymology, it leads to ancient Chinese.
The etymology of 'sayounara' lies in the phrase 'sayou de aru naraba'.
folk etymology; popular but unfounded etymology