Reading a Dictionary's Etymology Note

Use the etymology section of a dictionary entry to understand where a word comes from.

Most dictionary entries include an etymology, a short note showing a word's history, usually in brackets or at the end. It might look like this: 'sincere: from Latin sincerus, clean, pure, genuine. ' That tells you the word entered English from Latin and once meant pure, which explains why 'sincere' means genuine and honest. Etymology notes use abbreviations: 'L' or 'Lat' for Latin, 'Gk' for Greek, 'OE' for Old English, 'OFr' for Old French. Arrows or the word 'from' show the path backward in time. Why bother?

Because the history often makes a meaning memorable and helps you link words into families. 'Salary' comes from Latin salarium, connected to salt, likely an allowance for buying salt. 'Companion' comes from Latin com- (together) + panis (bread): someone you share bread with. Reading the etymology turns a dictionary from a list of definitions into a collection of stories that stick.

• 1An etymology note shows where a word came from.
• 2Abbreviations like L, Gk, and OE name the source language.
• 3Word histories make meanings memorable.