Glossary: etymology

A word’s etymology is its history: its origins in earlier forms of English or other languages, and how its form and meaning have changed. Many words in English have come from Greek, Latin or French.

• The word school was borrowed from a Greek word σχολή (skholé) meaning 'leisure'.
• The word verb comes from Latin verbum, meaning 'word'.
• The word mutton comes from French mouton, meaning 'sheep'.