What is folk etymology?
the transformation of
Definition of folk etymology : the transformation of words so as to give them an apparent relationship to other better-known or better-understood words (as in the change of Spanish cucaracha to English cockroach)
What is folk etymology in word formation process?
Folk etymology is a process that adapts unknown words or parts of words to known ones in certain languages, thus integrating them into the lexical system and making them more transparent.
What is the folk etymology of female?
“Historically, female, from Middle English femelle (from Old French femelle, a diminutive form of Latin femina ‘woman/female’), is unrelated to male (Old French male/masle; Latin masculus (‘little’ man/male); but Middle English femelle was clearly remodeled into female based on the association with male (approximately …
What are the example of acronyms?
An acronym is a word formed by abbreviating a phrase by combining certain letters of words in the phrase (often the first initial of each) into a single term. Common examples of acronyms include NASA (an acronym for National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and FOMO (a slang acronym for fear of missing out).
What is the folk etymology of garter snake?
Etymology: the genus name is derived from the Greek roots thamnos for bush and ophio for snake. “Sirtalis” is derived from the Latin for garter and apparently refers to the dorsal stripe(s). The subspecies name is derived from the Greek roots tetra for four and taenia for ribbon.
What is the folk etymology of asparagus?
Asparagus is from sparagus, a medieval Latin form of a Greek word, found in Old Italian as sparacci and sparagi. By Shakespeare’s time it had become sparrow-grass and has survived as such in many parts of England.
Where do you find the etymology of a word?
How to find the etymology of a word
- Research etymological dictionaries. Here are some to try: LibrarySpot Etymology Dictionaries.
- Look up the root words of your topic. Explore the history and evolution of your keywords. Get the true sense of how these words were born and evolved over time.
- Work with those words.
Is KFC an acronym?
KFC (also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky that specializes in fried chicken.
Is OMG an acronym?
Oh my god is an exclamation variously expressing disbelief, frustration, excitement, or anger. Its abbreviation, OMG, is widely used in digital communication.
What are garter snakes named after?
There are two theories: (1) the snakes were named after stocking garters and (2) sirtalis is the Latin word for stocking garters and thus the common name was derived from the Latin binomial.
What are some examples of folk etymology?
Examples of words created or changed through folk etymology include the English dialectal form sparrowgrass, originally from Greek ἀσπάραγος (“asparagus”) remade by analogy to the more familiar words sparrow and grass, or the word burger, originally from Hamburg + -er (“thing connected with”), but understood as ham + burger.
What is Chinese etymology?
Chinese Etymology is the study of the origin of Chinese characters. The more knowledge you can apply to a character, such as 泉, the more you understand that character. The more likely you are to never forget it.
What is folk etymology or reanalysis?
Folk etymology or reanalysis – sometimes called pseudo-etymology, popular etymology, or analogical reformation – is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more familiar one.
What is an example of etymologizing?
This popular etymologizing has had a powerful influence on the forms which words take. Examples in English include crayfish or crawfish, which are not historically related to fish but come from Middle English crevis, cognate with French écrevisse.