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Topic: Entomology & etymology

A fellow whose love of the outdoors led to a career in writing and environmentalism told us a tale that left us at a loss for words.

We're joking a bit, but according to this man, he had written a newspaper article on some sort of insect—butterflies, if we are remembering correctly—and had used the term entomology. When his story appeared in print, entomology was gone, replaced by etymology. Our reporter friend was flabbergasted at the change for the worse; he was downhearted that his editor waved off his concern; and he was downright discouraged that his was (allegedly) the only complaint over the word confusion.

The truth of the matter is this: etymology—"the history of a linguistic form"—is indeed different than entomology—"the branch of zoology that deals with insects."

The logy suffixes mean "doctrine"; "theory"; "science," but what about etymon and entomon? Etymon means "origin of a word" in Latin; the Latin term comes from the Greek etymon meaning "literal meaning of a word according to its origin." Etymon has its origin (no joke) in etymos—"truth."

Now let's dissect the Greek entomon. Entomon means "insect"; that term breaks down into Greek components meaning "to cut up, cut in." Does the etymology of entomology leave you puzzled? Remember that insects are notable for their segmented bodies.

Questions or comments? Write us at wftw@aol.com Production and research support for Word for the Wise comes from Merriam-Webster, publisher of language reference books and Web sites including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.