1. past tense of etymologize; traced or explained the origin and historical development of a word
Usage: technical; linguistics

Examples

• The linguist etymologized the word ‘butterfly’ back to Old English.
• She etymologized several terms in her dissertation on medieval literature.
• The professor etymologized the Latin roots during his lecture.
• Ancient scholars etymologized words differently than modern linguists do.
• He etymologized the place names found in the historical documents.
• The dictionary etymologized each entry with careful research.