How to
Build Your Future
Coming soon
Search
-
QuestionWhy is it important to know the etymology of words?
Katherine DembyKatherine Demby is an Academic Consultant based in New York City. Katherine specializes in tutoring for the LSAT, GRE, SAT, ACT, and academic subjects for high school and college students. She holds a BA in History and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a JD from Yale Law School. Katherine is also a freelance writer and editor.
Academic TutorBesides the fact that it's super interesting, knowledge of etymology will make it much easier to identify words you don't know. It's especially helpful when it comes to standardized tests, and reading. -
QuestionWhat's the easiest way to find where a word comes from?Katherine DembyKatherine Demby is an Academic Consultant based in New York City. Katherine specializes in tutoring for the LSAT, GRE, SAT, ACT, and academic subjects for high school and college students. She holds a BA in History and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a JD from Yale Law School. Katherine is also a freelance writer and editor.
Academic TutorLook it up in an etymological dictionary! You can buy a hardcover copy, or you can just hop online and search a digital dictionary. That's going to be the fastest way. -
QuestionWhat should I start studying first if I want to learn etymology?Katherine DembyKatherine Demby is an Academic Consultant based in New York City. Katherine specializes in tutoring for the LSAT, GRE, SAT, ACT, and academic subjects for high school and college students. She holds a BA in History and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a JD from Yale Law School. Katherine is also a freelance writer and editor.
Academic TutorStart by working through the super common prefixes and suffixes. Once you've identified one, you can make inferences about other words with the same prefix or suffix. For example, matri- comes from the Latin word mater, which means "mother." So, once you know that you can immediately figure certain things out about maternity, matricide, matrimony, or matriarchal. They're all related to motherhood or women! -
QuestionDo you have any tips or tricks for how I could study it quickly and easily?
Community AnswerMake sure you are writing down the word 3 times for memory and spelling. It also helps to find a word or picture that reminds you of the etymology. These tips help me and they will probably help you too! -
QuestionWhat is the etymology of the word "faith"?
DonaganTop AnswererIt is derived from old French and Latin terms meaning "reliability" or "allegiance." The Latin word is "fides" and the French word is "feid."
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
