GRE Word List

ETYMOLOGY

the history of a linguistic form (such as a word) shown by tracing its development since its earliest recorded occurrence in the language where it is found, by tracing its transmission from one language to another, by analyzing it into its component parts, by identifying its cognates in other languages, or by tracing it and its cognates to a common ancestral form in an ancestral language

The meaning of the word etymology is the history of a linguistic form (such as a word) shown by tracing its development since its earliest recorded occurrence in the language where it is found, by tracing its transmission from one language to another, by analyzing it into its component parts, by identifying its cognates in other languages, or by tracing it and its cognates to a common ancestral form in an ancestral language.

Random words

WordMeaning
doldrumsa spell of listlessness or despondency
squanderto spend extravagantly or foolishly : dissipate
fatuouscomplacently or inanely foolish : silly
tauthaving no give or slack : tightly drawn
ballasta heavy substance (such as rocks or water) placed in such a way as to improve stability and control (as of the draft of a ship or the buoyancy of a balloon or submarine)
assumptiona taking to or upon oneself
tracta system of body parts or organs that act together to perform some function
aspirantone who aspires
credoa guiding belief or principle : creed
mincingaffectedly dainty or delicate